The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has pledged its readiness to collaborate with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) in the enthronement of the regulated port regime in Nigeria.
The President of MAN, Dr. Frank Jacobs who stated this during a courtesy visit on the Headquarters of the NSC in Lagos assured the NSC management of the association’s willing to render assistance whenever it is called upon.
Represented by the Chairman Corporate Affairs and Strategic Planning Committee of MAN, Chief John Aluya, Jacobs re-emphasized the stakeholders’ need for economic regulator in the nation’s port industry adding that a sector without a regulator is as good as useless.
He observed that freights from other countries which were hitherto not benchmarked were now being benchmarked describing it as a great improvement which needed to be applauded.
According to him,” We have seen that since your inception, that freights from other countries that were hitherto not bench marked are now being benchmarked and this is a great improvement which we want to appreciate you sir and there are lots of things to talk about but let me say that MAN is willing and ready to collaborate with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council in enthronement of a regulated port regime.
“We want an economic regulator at the ports because in a situation where there is no regulation, everything becomes useless and we have seen the little you have been able to do despite the legal strangled you, at least you have been able to put certain things in place and I am sure that after the resolution of this legal case, the operators will now sit back and now that yes, we have a regulator”.
The MAN boss acknowledged the effort of the Council in the area of the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) as according to him, “they are very essential to MAN because it will bring the cost of doing business lower for our members who are in the hinterland. We want to thank you for that noble initiative and we want to assure you that should you need anything from us, please you are free to knock at our door”.
He continued,” The other area I will just want to mention briefly is the issue of the transport logistics. I mean that is a very noble initiative that MAN would want to be part of because transportation logistics is something of great importance to manufacturers. If your cost of transportation is high, then you find that the price of the products will be high. So, we want to say that implementing a standard best practice in our transport logistics is of prime importance to us and we will collaborate with you in achieving this noble objective”.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Barr. Hassan Bello recalled that there had been a long and historic relationship between the two bodies adding that MAN by the Act setting up the Nigerian Shippers’ Council was not only a member of the Board of Nigerian Shippers’ Council but it was also a member of its various committees on freights and on tariffs and so many other committees.
Bello underscored the fact that one cannot separate Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria from the Nigerian Shippers’ Council adding that those who drafted the laws were conscious of the fact that transportation was also part of manufacturing just as manufacturing was what made the essence of the county.
“A county that does not manufacture, then it is not taken seriously anywhere and that is why in all our engagements we consider the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria as a key stakeholder without which we will not execute our mandate. And you may recall many things that we have done together especially on the importation side and we have said that Nigeria is an import economy which employs people and it is a chain, it is engaging and it brings revenue to the government but we are appointed as regulator to make sure that our manufacturers face little or no difficulty. In fact, it is a sacred thing to be a manufacturer and we have realized that that is the base for our economy, that is the essence of our economy.
“And so, we are intervening in various respects together as far as the manufacturers’ interests are concerned. You might recall when we wanted to introduce the Advanced Cargo Information System the other time and we had a lot of issues especially MAN seriously thinking like us about the cost and we had several engagements. We have had many engagements, I have been to your office three times, all on this issue and we feel that it is very important that MAN becomes an integral part even statutory to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
“So, sir, it is very important that you come here regularly, it is important also that you know what the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has been doing, what Shippers’ Council is going to do and the challenges militating against some of our targets because we think that when we come together, you will be able to advise us, you will be able to mentor us and I believe if we had come together, most of these issues couldn’t have arisen. Together we shape the policies of the government.
“Let me congratulate MAN, we have seen MAN more than ever before coming to shape the policies of the Federal Government. I am sure all the steps which were taken by the federal government are shaped by MAN. It is obvious and I congratulate you on that because it is the economy of Nigeria that is at the heart of your mandate”, Bello stated.
Photo: (L-R) The Director-General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, the Executive Secretary of NSC, Barr. Hassan Bello and the Chairman, Corporate Affairs and Strategic Planning Committee of MAN during the courtesy Visit on the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) in Lagos by MAN.
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