The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has enrolled 160 port stakeholders into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative began in 2023.
The Executive Secretary of NSC, Mr Pius Akutah, made the disclosure to the News Agency of Nigeria, on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators on Monday in Lagos.
The theme of the programme is, “Regulated Port Service Provider and Users”.
Akutah, who was represented by Director Consumer Affairs, Chief Cajetan Agu, emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders.
He said that the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
Akutah said that the 160 registered port operators consist of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
“We invited the ports stakeholders for enlightening them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users.
“We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000 while some pay N50,000 as well as N100,000.
“The council was able to intimate them on the benefits, because port users benefit more as we help to interface for reducing port charges from time to time,” Akutah said.
He said that there was a need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and also eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
The Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr Celestine Akujobi, said the sensitisation exercise was important for the council to enable us bring all the port stakeholders together.
According to him, this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operators will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration.
“I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory fiction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal.
“We are engaging other ports across the country and we hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on the defaulting operators,” Akujobi said.
The Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Dr Ifeanyi Emoh, said that port challenges were enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.
Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that they could be for a window where they collected port challenges collectively instead of indiscriminate charges.
The Member of National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents, Mr Abayomi Duyile, commended NSC, saying that the sensitisation would enable both the government agencies and port users to operate on the same level.
The Chairman, Board of Trustee (BOT), NEXUS Association of Maritime Truckers Operators (NAMTOP), Mr Raheem Morufu, said he had registered since November 2023, but found it difficult to register on the NSC portal.
“I’m now well informed after the training that everyone will register individual in, regardless of their operations so as to be attended to when there is challenge.
“I want to commend NSC for their intervention when the shipping companies overcharged me. I was able to be refunded N20 million after the intervention,” Morufu said.
