The management of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has launched an online portal for the registration of all categories of port users and operators.
According to NSC, the process is expected to provide database of service providers that are genuine as well as shippers and other stakeholders operating in the Nigerian port system.
Explaining further, the Executive Secretary of NSC, Emmanuel Jime stated that the event marks a milestone as the Council upgrades from manual registration to a fully automated registration platform.
He said: “The platform we are launching is interactive in nature as physical interface is eliminated. From your desk in your office, you can register your company online without having to visit any Shippers’ Council office as long as you fulfil the requirements and make the necessary payments.”
“The registration exercise is in various categories and attracts a token fee as the motive is not to generate revenue. It is mandatory for all service providers and users to register and obtain a certificate of registration before they can be adjudged as legally operating at the nation’s seaports. It is therefore important to register with the NSC to avoid applicable sanctions,” the NSC boss said.
Jime added that the new platform guarantees a safe and secure business environment even as it eliminates the challenges of faceless stakeholders in the port system.
Speaking in a similar vein, the Director of Consumer Affairs, NSC, Chief Cajetan Agu explained that one of the responsibilities placed on NSC when it became the nation’s port economic regulator in 2014 was the obligation to register all port operators and port users.
“NSC offers a lot of services around training, education and capacity building programmes. The only people who will benefit from these services will be those who are registered with NSC,” Agu said.
Agu described the online registration as an Know-Your-Customer (KYC) function of the Council, stressing that the era of faceless shippers, untraceable freight forwarders and other hidden service providers have ended.
He also posited that the Complaints Unit of NSC which attends to stakeholders’ challenges in port business and arbitration services by the Council will henceforth only be available to operators and port users registered with the Council.
The event also featured a step-by-step demonstration on how to register with NSC via the online portal.
