Pending the establishment of the proposed National Transport Commission (NTC), Maritime Stakeholders in Nigeria have advised the Federal Government to constitute an ad-hoc committee to verify and fine-tune Terminal Operators current cargo handling practices and charges.
In a communiqué issued at the end of a one day deliberation in Lagos, participants also emphasised need to stop legal hostilities between Port Operators and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
Organised by the Publishers of Business & Maritime West Africa, the event had in attendanceChairman of Shipowners’ Forum, Mrs. Margaret Onyema-Orakwusi; the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shppers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello, represented by Assistant Direcor, NSC Compliance Monitoring Division, Mrs. Celine Ifeora; the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, represented by the NPA General Manager, Marine and Operations, Mr. Joshua Asanga; the National President, Association of Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu; the Founder of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr, Boniface Aniebonam and the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, represented by the NIMASA Director of Shipping Development, Mr. Anthony Ogadi.
The event also had in attendance the Chairman, Corporate Affairs and Strategic Planning, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. John Aluya; representative of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Deputy Comptroller, A.Y. Idris; member of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Clearing and Forwarding Trade Group, Dr. Ikenna Nwosu; Director of Special Duties in the office of NIMASA Director-General, Hajiya Lami Tumaka; the Assistant Secretary-General of the Nigerian Mariners Association (NMA), Rear Admiral Godswill Ombo (rtd); and the Governor, ANLCA Women, Hajiya Bola Muse, among others.
Participants also called on the the Federal Government to urgently evaluate the benefits or otherwise of the ETLS, as well as the level of implementation of the CET by ECOWAS member-states.
