The Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello, has said that the council is in talks with the country’s Central Bank on the need to ensure Nigerian shippers have access to finance, information and connections on the international market.
He stated this on Tuesday during the Inauguration/Election of the National Shippers Association of Nigeria at the council’s headquarters in Apapa, Lagos.
Bello also lamented that export cargoes suffer 20 – 24 days delay before gaining access into the port, while imported cargoes suffer 21 days cargo dwell time at the port, unlike seven days spent at neighbouring ports.
He expressed the need for “exporters who are shippers to also have free access to the port; they should have access to information about the market and also have access to finance.”
“There are many shippers who are exporting now, and one of the problems is access to the port. We have cargoes that spend 20 days and 24 days before they gain access into the port; we have struggled so much to ensure this stops.
“The same situation occurs with importers; there are issues at the port, cargoes have 21 days dwell time, meanwhile it is seven days at our competing neighbouring ports,” he stated.
Addressing the newly-inaugurated NASAN executives, the NSC boss charged them to engage the government and ensure reduction in dwell time of cargo.
He informed the group that the ports digitalisation has grown to a stage where the terminals must be 90 per cent compliant, whereby “freight forwarders, truckers and shipping lines are online, and one can transact (business) even without coming to Lagos.” Adding that this would stop the corruption at the ports.
Bello urged NASAN to speak with one voice, and to ensure its members participate actively in the newly established African Continental Free Trade Area, to ensure they benefit optimally in all relevant sectors of the regime.
In his victory speech, President of Rivers-Bayelsa Shippers Association, Dr Innocent Akuvue, who emerged NASAN President-General for the next two years, vowed to work with maritime stakeholders in different ports and streamline procedures and processes to ease clearing, importing and exporting.
While pledging to improve members’ welfare, Akuvue appealed for calm on the issue of the Central Bank’s increased exchange rate for customs duty, insisting that there was no need to rush to criticise policies.
“I am an importer, so I know the change that is sacred. Now that I am going to speak for an organisation, we need to understand why certain positions were taken before we make our own case,” he said.
