The Nation Newspaper

Category: Maritime

  • Peterside vows to fight piracy

    Peterside vows to fight piracy

    Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director-General Dr Dakuku Peterside has vowed to fight piracy, develop human capacity, ensure safety of vessels and removal of wrecks and mitigate the effects of pollution.

    Speaking with The Nation, Peterside noted that NIMASA owes the international community the obligation to ensure the safety of their vessels, crew and cargoes to foster shipping trade between Nigeria and other parts of the world.

    He hailed the partnership between NIMASA and the Nigerian Navy, describing both institutions as partners in progress.

    The NIMASA boss noted the importance of the Navy to the development of the nation’s maritime sector and thanked the Navy for the synergy.

    He commended the officers and men of the Nigerian Navy for their efforts in combating piracy over the years, pledging the agency’s support to the deal to help it carry out effectively, its operations.

    “Piracy is capable of crippling the economy. Since shipping largely contributes to the growth of any economy, the economy cannot thrive where piracy activities are carried out.”

    He said he was happy that the Nigerian Navy created the Central Naval Command, noting that it would help checkmate illegalities in the industry.

    He said the agency would continue to extend human capacity development to the naval personnel in the Maritime Guard Command Unit of the agency.

    He also warned shipping companies against polluting the ports. It said it had adopted best practices to protect marine resources from ship pollution.

    The NIMASA DG urged the firms to use the waterways well or face the law, adding that pollution must be tackled to make the waterways cleaner.

    He said he was not happy that general environmental issues were not considered by some oil and gas firms in the country.

    NIMASA, he said, would issue roadmap on Marine Waste Management in Nigeria.

    He said NIMASA would domesticate some International Maritime Organisation (IMO) codes and conventions to protect the maritime sector.

    He said IMO and domestic laws were considered in planning the road map structured to provide the ideal platform to grow the business of managing waste generated in the maritime environment.

    He plegded the agency’s support for public-private partnership model to facilitate effective management of ship-generated waste within the marine and coastal environment.

    Maenwhile, Sea and Cargo Logistics Chairman, Raphael Christo-pher alleged that many foreign ships were polluting the nation’s territorial waters with waste and depleting fish stocks.

    At a seminar organised by sea workers in Lagos, he urged the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi , to fashion out a policy that will facilitate effective management of ship-generated waste within the marine and coastal environment.

    Christopher said 28 countries, with an aggregate merchant shipping tonnage of 26.37 per cent of the world total, have ratified the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) convention.

  • Shipowners kick against foreign domination of oil trade

    Can indigenous shipowners match their foreign counterparts in the capital intensive crude oil lifting business? Yes, says the Nigeria Shipowners Association (NISA), which has launched a campaign to be involved in the business.

    The association says its involvement in the trade would be in national interest.

    Its participation would reduce youth unemployment, generate revenue and ensure security, its General Secretary, Captain Niyi Labinjo, told The Nation.

    Labinjo said it was more profitable for a Nigerian ship to lift crude as the country was losing by using foreign vessels.

    “We will gain about N968 million a day if we use our own indigenous ships to lift crude oil. This is because Nigeria carries about 2.5 million barrels of crude a day at the rate of $2.50 per barrel,” he said, adding that the huge sum would have accrued to Nigeria and created employment for at least 5,000 professionals in the sector. The advantage is that indigenous ships will get their water, food, tug boats, chandelling, engineers and rags from Nigeriam he noted.

    Labinjo said there are many qualified Nigerians in these fields who have no jobs, adding that using foreign vessels was not in the best interest of the nation because when the dependent country has crisis, Nigeria may have challenges lifting its crude.

    He said as at the last count, indigenous investments in the sector have created over 40, 000 jobs across the hydrocarbon value chain.

    Meanwhile, the Shippers Association, Lagos State has attributed the drop in the revenue collected by the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to inconsistency in government policies.

  • Govt told to review tariff

    Importers and clearing agents have urged the Federal Government to review port tariff and make the ports attractive for business.

    They said the ports may witness low volume of imports this year, if the government did not act fast.

    The operators, who spoke with The Nation, said the review had become necessary to eliminate arbitrariness and ensure parity with other ports, particularly those of neighbouring countries.

    ShippersAssociation of Lagos President, Mr Jonathan Nichol, said port tariff were not commensurate with the services rendered by terminal operators and they make the ports uncompetitive.

    He said the operators needed to emulate the Nigerian Shippers’Council that has abolished service charges, bank charge, commission on turnover and concessionaires’ service charge to reduce the cost of doing business at the ports.

    Also, Folas Motors Managing Director, Chief Fola Alakija, said the council had been implementing the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) project on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) to bring shipping to the door of importers.

    He said despite the claim by the government that it has reduced its agencies at the ports, some are still posing big challenges to port operations.

    The importer said there was the need to revive and modernise the railway as a primary mode for long distance haulage of cargo and to free the Lagos ports road.

    According to him, the railway will also reduce the cost of transporting cargo in and out of the ports and create employment.

    Chief Alakija said there was the need to embrace a single window operation to eliminate human contact and the use of discretion, which has been identified as the biggest obstacle to quick cargo clearance from the port.

    He said the single window operation would not only facilitate trade, but also eliminate fraud and improve revenue generation.

  • Shippers Council advocates ‘blue economy’ to boost revenue

    Shippers Council advocates ‘blue economy’ to boost revenue

    The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has urged agencies in the maritime industry to promote what it calls the blue economy to earn huge revenue  for the country.

    Its Executive Secretary, Mr Hassan Bello, told The Nation that the country has abundant marine resources which would raise the standard of living, if tapped.

    The council, he said, was working with the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on the ‘’efficient exploitation of marine resources’’.

    According to Bello, the blue economy, covers both aquatic and marine spaces, including oceans, seas, coasts, lakes, rivers, underground water, fisheries, aqua-culture, tourism, transport, shipbuilding, energy, bioprospecting, and underwater mining.

    He said the country was well-positioned to rake revenue from the sector based on its huge maritime traffic, a population of over 180 million and a coastline measuring about 850km.

    The oceans and seas, Bello said, were ideal conditions for fishermen, pointing out that issues which must be addressed were holding back a blue economy there.

    “Another barrier to economic development is piracy, which has become a major obstacle to growth and development. Pollution is also damaging our marine environments, particularly from some of the ships calling at our ports. Therefore, government agencies need to come together to fashion out plans and coordinated action to control crime, exploitation and pollution, among others. Coordinated action through agencies in the sector and groups, such as the African Union will give us better result.

    “The Blue economy, encapsulating all of the potential of our oceanic resources, offers us a platform for Africa’s transformation both in terms of Agenda 2063 and in terms of the post-2015 Development Agenda and the sustainable development goals.

    “The majority of world trade is by sea. The majority of the world’s oil shipments are by sea. There is no food security without a sustainable ocean. The majority of new mineral resources will not be found on land but in the sea. The blue economy is Africa’s future and Nigeria must take the lead.”

    Blue economy, according to him, are wealth derivable from oceans and seas and other economic activities derived from the maritime sector.

    Government agencies, Bello said, need to collaborate to transform the  sector into a huge revenue earner for the government and country as a whole country.

    To initiate policies and programmes that will increase the revenue base of the country, Bello said, were part of the mandate of most of the government agencies in the maritime sector and dividends of the blue economy being promoted by the Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi through NIMASA.

    He stressed the need for investment in the sector which he said had similar potential and opportunities that exist in countries, such as South Korea, Ukraine, Singapore and other countries, which thrive on their industry.

    Bello said there was need to use the sector to derive more benefits for the country and its people.

    He charged government agencies and Nigerians to invest in the opportunities afforded by the Blue Economy, stating that it is the fastest growing sector in the world with enormous business potential.

    “Government agencies must initiate policies and programmes that will increase the revenue base of the government. Both the public and private sector have to collaborate to sustainably harness the potential of our maritime sector for the benefit of the nation’s economy, especially as the Federal Government continues the economic diversification drive.”

    Some of the areas to be looked into, he said, include fisheries, the coastline itself, mangroves, carbon absorption, seagrass beds and corals reefs and carbon sequestration, among others. In South Africa for instance, the blue economy could   generate one million jobs by 2033.

    Government policy on the blue economy, he said, should be centered on coastal tourism, offshore oil and gas exploration, deep and short-sea shipping, cruise tourism, fisheries and aquaculture, inland water way transport, offshore wind, blue biotechnology, marine mineral mining, marine aquatic products and ocean renewable energy.

     

     

  • NPA MD to workers: better days ahead

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman has assured  workers of better condition of service.

    Addressing the workers in Lagos, she advised them to be dedicated in the discharge of their duty.

    Over 550 workers from across the country were honoured during the ceremony.

    About 530 recipients of them got the company’s long service award, seven, merit awards and 30 fire  men for their gallantry in putting out a fire in Port Harcourt port.

    She thanked the awardees and other workers  for their contributions to the authority’s growth.

    “In spite of the outlook of the economy at the beginning of this year,  the management of the authority set out certain goals and objectives for itself and we are grateful that we have attained most of the goals that we set for ourselves.

    “Right from the outset, management was conscious of the fact that none of these objectives would be attainable without the understanding and cooperation of the workforce. This is the main reason  we have maintained an open door policy, which has made it possible for all of us to rub minds and agree on the best way to achieve the very important task of repositioning port operations in Nigeria or better efficiency.

    “On behalf of the management, I want to thank you, our colleagues for keeping faith with us. While we are not at the place where we hope to be, we are certainly not where we started from. I take the rare opportunity to commend you for your commitment to serve and all the sacrifices that you all have to make.

    “Someone said the reward for hard work is more work; at the NPA, we know that this not the exact situation. There is, of course, always more work for us because we want to improve on our last performance, never resting on our oars, but can also assure you that welfare will continue to be of utmost priority to us,” she said.

    In his address, its Executive Director Finance and Administration, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, urged the workers to be more dedicated to their duty as the management has resolved to priotise staff welfare, next year.

    One of the awardees and the Port Manager Calabar Port, Mrs Funmilayo Olotu, who spoke on behalf of  others, expressed gratitude to the management for promoting staff welfare and thanked Ms Usman for operating an open door policy since her assumption of duties.

     

  • I will turn Maritime Academy around in a year, says Rector

    Rector of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Commodore Emma Daju Effedua (rtd), said he’ll work to ensure that the institution surpasses its peers in the West and Central African sub region within a year.

    , who spoke  when members of the House of Representatives Committee on Maritime Administration and Education visited him as part of its oversight functions, said he is in MAN “to change the narrative where cadets of the Academy are regarded as half baked and unemployable.

    “When this Academy was established 40 years ago it was the pride of the African continent. It was established at the same time, countries like South Africa, Ghana and Egypt also came up with their maritime academies, but 40 years down the line, we are hundreds of poles apart because we did not do the right things.”

    Commodore Effedua regretted that standards and competence were relegated to the background, resulting  in the turned out of cadets that cannot compete with the best in the world.

    He said previously, graduates of MAN, Oron were regarded as sone of the best in Africa as most of them got top flight positions in blue chip companies in the maritime and oil and gas sectors, but regretted  this narrative has since changed.

    He blamed the declining fortunes of the Academy on poor and inadequate learning infrastructure,  and demotivated staff coupled with distractions from the host community, saying, “our host community must understand that this is a Federal Government owned institution in which all Nigerians have equal stake. It is therefore unacceptable that our host community has failed to realise that as an international institution these local bickerings must and should be insulated from the goals of the founding fathers of the Academy.”

    Chairman of the Committee Mohammed Bago, in his remarks, urged the Rector to justify the confidence reposed in him by President Muhammad Buhari, describing his appointment as a wake up call.  He said considering his background as a Naval Officer, he was convinced the Rector has what it takes to turn the institution around.

    Said he: “We will support and collaborate with you. We want you to furnish us with your plan of action,  road map and your assets and liabilities,” as well a the funds needed for sea time training, he stated.

    We must be able to train the best cadets who have the requisite qualifications. We want all abandoned projects completed and contractors who are being owed must be mobilized back to site, Bago said.

    Among ongoing projects inspected by the Committee included the mini sports complex , the Olympic size swimming pool, the new parade ground, staff quarters as well as female and male hostels.

  • My plan for ports, by Shippers Council boss

    My plan for ports, by Shippers Council boss

    The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) is determined to make the ports more efficient to enable them compete with those of neighbouring countries, its Executive Secretary, Mr Hassan Bello, has said.

    Bello told The Nation that operators and other stakeholders should collaborate with the government to make the ports attractive, competitive and the sub-region’s preferred cargo destination.

    The collaboration, he said, was necessary to drive the change needed to reform the sector to attract more cargoes.

    He said NSC was working closely with the government and private operators in order to create a level-playing field for all.

    “The council is looking for an equilibrium that is needed in port operation, and that is why we interact with the operators regularly.

    “The port system is a representation of various interests and everybody has a target. That is why there is need for a neutral observer that will bring everybody together.

    “That is what Nigerian Shippers’ Council is doing to cement the relationship so that synergy will be brought to bear for the positive contribution of shipping to the nation’s economy.

    “The more cargo we have, the more it translates to economic growth; the more it translates to employment; building of new infrastructure and making transportation the driver of the nation’s economy,”he said.

    According to him, the complaints by port users, shippers and shipping companies vary, adding that  the complaints were meant to right certain wrongs. Some complaints, he said, were monetary, and some, lack of equipment and short-landing of goods.

    The Council, he said, had been persuasive with its regulatory power to eradicate the challenges hindering port operations and making Nigerian ports the preferred cargo destination. To him, genuine automation of ports operations would increase efficiency and decrease waste.

    The effect of these, according to him, would be making the ports attractive with increased volumes of cargo, which again would enhance government revenue.

    He said there will be more employment and the ports will then become the preferred destination for importers.

    “If it is five days in port A and it is one day in port B, I will rather go to port B because it is the economies of scale that determines which port is used. We have made it possible for us to make that comparison within the sub-consciousness of the national discourse on the economy.

    “It is important for our ports to be efficient and our ports are picking up now. Corruption is what we have been talking about and there are many ways to kill corruption and one of them is automation because the moment you have automation, corruption will just disappear. With the introduction of electronic payment platform, what took place in six days then, will now take place in six seconds.

    “Some of the delays have been eliminated by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the agency is also trying to introduce other electronic system of doing things, the same thing with Customs,” he said.

    The NSC boss urged the government to take a deliberate action to address many challenges confronting the port system through consistent and predictable policies.

    Investors, he said, needed certainty and ease of doing business in Nigeria, which could be brought about by the government intervention, especially in the 1gridlock at-  Apapa.

    According to him, no matter how efficient a terminal is, if there is no road to evacuate cargoes, how can you do it? So, there must be some level of intervention.

    “The ideas are to have an electronic passage to ensure that a truck is only in Apapa when it is needed to pick or drop cargo. Then the tank farms, we don’t need trailers to go to tank farms because we have the pipeline, which is also a means of transportation.

    “The moment we have these pipelines pumping to Mosimi and other flow stations, then we don’t need tankers in Apapa.

    “We cannot rely only on access road, ports should be accessible by road, rail, inland water ways and pipelines because the port is not a storage place for cargo at all.”

    Bello also said the NSC is also establishing Truck Transit Parks along major highways in the country to help address the challenges of trucks parking along major roads in the country, adding that  the project is Public Private Partnership (PPP) aimed at reducing incidences of road congestion and loss of cargoes due to indiscriminate parking by truck drivers.

    The executive secretary explained that the council, in partnership with states, would build modern parks with hotels, restaurants, filling stations and garages for repair and maintenance of vehicles.

    According to him, the facility will also have weigh measures not only for trucks, but also small cars travelling at night can stop over there and stay because there will be security. This will provide revenue for the state government because there will be employment for people and other small businesses can spring up also.

    “We have secured a land from Kogi State government along Abuja road, Enugu State government has also given us land in Obolo Afor and other state governments have indicated interest in the project,” he said, adding that the Council will soon introduce modern cargo tracking system.

    According to Bello, introducing cargo tracking device will help in revenue blockage and assist the Nigeria Customs  Service (NCS) in its revenue collection. He added that the Cargo Tracking and Advanced Cargo Information System is a trade facilitation system, which involves advance electronic transmission of cargo manifest ahead of the ships’ arrival.

    “Cargo tracking and advanced cargo information system is a trade facilitation system, which was introduced by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and is being supported by the Nigeria Customs Service.

    “The device is used to block revenue leakages at the ports. It enables Customs to place the correct duty on every cargo. We wouldn’t be having all these smuggling if we have the advanced cargo information system,” he said.

     

  • Importers, agents urge govt to invest in infrastructure

    Importers, agents urge govt to invest in infrastructure

    How can Nigeria become a hub of maritime operations in West and Central Africa? It is by getting the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to develop new port facilities comparable to none in the sub-region.

    Importers’ and clearing agents made this suggestion at a forum in Lagos.

    According to their spokesperson, Sesan Abolarinwa, it is imperative for the government to promote the maritime industry to benefit from the increasing cargo traffic across the globe.

    New facilities, Abolarinwa, Bolas Motors Managing Director, said should be designed by the Ministry of Transport to meet the logistics needs of the industry in anticipation of future development.

    He called on the government to fund maritime researches, saying the sector lacked in-depth investigation due to poor funding.

    ‘‘The maritime industry has experienced an appreciable development in recent years. That development is set to stay. World trade continues to shift global markets and production lines make new demands on transport systems and on ports in particular.

    ‘‘Ports serve the national interest, supporting the competitiveness of national and regional economies. It is in the nation’s interest that our ports remain able to handle cargo trade and its potential development efficiently and sustainably,” he said.

    The maritime industry, according to Abolarinwa, was in dire need of a number of reforms. “New port facilities would help to bring the industry to international  standards. The importers lamented that previous administrations, like most practitioners in the maritime industry, did not live by the rules guiding the profession, which they said has resulted in a number of problems in the sector.

    “The maritime industry requires reforms; reform by way of standardising, educating, informing, sanitising the practice and making it global because the mere mention of the words import and export trade means we are not doing it locally, but across borders. Therefore, there are set rules, information and knowledge that  operators must possess,” he said.

    Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu said the maritime industry has project for rapid and sustainable growth.

    “Based on this development and the strategic position Nigeria occupy in the industry and the sub-region for the development of human capital for an enhanced economy, it is expected of the government to train our youth to develop interest in maritime education,” Shittu said.

    To meet the manpower requirement for the nation’s fleet, Shittu also canvassed for robust, consistent, versatile and dynamic maritime policies, which are in tandem with global issues to ensures efficiency.

    He lamented that the country, despite its huge population, has no standard maritime institute compared to countries such as the Philippines, which he said, has over 40 maritime academies with half of the population.

    The Philippines, Shittu said supplies over 30 per cent of the world’s seafarers’ requirement.

    He noted that the Philippines earn over $1.6 billion from reparation from seafarers.

    Shittu emphasised the need for a training school to develop competent manpower for the sector, adding that the industry would grow if the government co-opted the private sector into its manpower development strategy.

    A stakeholder, Mr Benson Adegboyega, called on the Federal Government to formulate a new policy that would promote business at the ports.

    This, according to him, requires strengthening regional commitment to eradicating sub-standard shipping and ensure the rapid development of the industry.

     

  • Shipping institute gets new leaders

    The Nigerian Institute of Shipping (NIS) has elected new officers to pilot its affairs for two years.

    Capt. Anthony Onoharigho, the president, and other members of his executive have been decorated by the life patron and trustee of the institute, Caleb Okoye.

    Speaking after his inauguration,  Onoharigho promised to reposition the institute.

    ‘I am here to serve and turn the institute around. What I want to do, which I have already started, is to relocate the institute from where it is today, because trucks and others have blocked the entrance to the institute.

    “As far as I am concerned, I know we are planning to get a place and wherever the place is, it doesn’t matter. But we are still going to be in Apapa. This area will come back to what it is used to be, the entrance to both Tin Can and Apapa ports are in a very bad state now. So, once these problems are solved by the Federal Government, there will be free entrance to the ports, then Apapa will turn to what it  used to be.

    “NIMASA, Shippers’ Council and the NPA are still here, those are the people that are controlling the maritime industry and they are still there, so where are we running to? So we will still be in Apapa,” he said.

    He continued:“My main priority is to charter the institute, if you look at the position of the institute from the onset; we have a President, who stayed there for 16 years as president. Sixteen years is not a joke; a child of 16 years is already in the secondary school. Now that I have been elected as the fourth president, my first project and I will ask God to help me, is to make a change and charter the institute. So, the first stage is to look for a befitting accommodation that whenever you come you will know that it is an institute. The location doesn’t matter and the next step is to get chartered and when we do that people will have value for their membership.”

    He expressed appreciation to former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori for his encouragement, NIMASA Director-General, Dr Dakuku Peterside and NPA  management for their support.

    In his address, Chief Okoye said the event was successful with the induction of new members, election of new officers and award of fellowship of the institute on notable Nigerians.

    The Secretary of the group, Mr Elufioye Segun commended the committee and urged other members to support them.

     

  • My plan for ports, by Shippers Council boss

    My plan for ports, by Shippers Council boss

    The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) is determined to make the ports more efficient to enable them compete with those of neighbouring countries, its Executive Secretary, Mr Hassan Bello, has said.

    Bello told The Nation that operators and other stakeholders should collaborate with the government to make the ports attractive, competitive and the sub-region’s preferred cargo destination.

    The collaboration, he said, was necessary to drive the change needed to reform the sector to attract more cargoes.

    He said NSC was working closely with the government and private operators in order to create a level-playing field for all.

    “The council is looking for an equilibrium that is needed in port operation, and that is why we interact with the operators regularly.

    “The port system is a representation of various interests and everybody has a target. That is why there is need for a neutral observer that will bring everybody together.

    “That is what Nigerian Shippers’ Council is doing to cement the relationship so that synergy will be brought to bear for the positive contribution of shipping to the nation’s economy.

    “The more cargo we have, the more it translates to economic growth; the more it translates to employment; building of new infrastructure and making transportation the driver of the nation’s economy,”he said.

    According to him, the complaints by port users, shippers and shipping companies vary, adding that  the complaints were meant to right certain wrongs. Some complaints, he said, were monetary, and some, lack of equipment and short-landing of goods.

    The Council, he said, had been persuasive with its regulatory power to eradicate the challenges hindering port operations and making Nigerian ports the preferred cargo destination. To him, genuine automation of ports operations would increase efficiency and decrease waste.

    The effect of these, according to him, would be making the ports attractive with increased volumes of cargo, which again would enhance government revenue.

    He said there will be more employment and the ports will then become the preferred destination for importers.

    “If it is five days in port A and it is one day in port B, I will rather go to port B because it is the economies of scale that determines which port is used. We have made it possible for us to make that comparison within the sub-consciousness of the national discourse on the economy.

    “It is important for our ports to be efficient and our ports are picking up now. Corruption is what we have been talking about and there are many ways to kill corruption and one of them is automation because the moment you have automation, corruption will just disappear. With the introduction of electronic payment platform, what took place in six days then, will now take place in six seconds.

    “Some of the delays have been eliminated by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the agency is also trying to introduce other electronic system of doing things, the same thing with Customs,” he said.

    The NSC boss urged the government to take a deliberate action to address many challenges confronting the port system through consistent and predictable policies.

    Investors, he said, needed certainty and ease of doing business in Nigeria, which could be brought about by the government intervention, especially in the 1gridlock at-  Apapa.

    According to him, no matter how efficient a terminal is, if there is no road to evacuate cargoes, how can you do it? So, there must be some level of intervention.

    “The ideas are to have an electronic passage to ensure that a truck is only in Apapa when it is needed to pick or drop cargo. Then the tank farms, we don’t need trailers to go to tank farms because we have the pipeline, which is also a means of transportation.

    “The moment we have these pipelines pumping to Mosimi and other flow stations, then we don’t need tankers in Apapa.

    “We cannot rely only on access road, ports should be accessible by road, rail, inland water ways and pipelines because the port is not a storage place for cargo at all.”

    Bello also said the NSC is also establishing Truck Transit Parks along major highways in the country to help address the challenges of trucks parking along major roads in the country, adding that  the project is Public Private Partnership (PPP) aimed at reducing incidences of road congestion and loss of cargoes due to indiscriminate parking by truck drivers.

    The executive secretary explained that the council, in partnership with states, would build modern parks with hotels, restaurants, filling stations and garages for repair and maintenance of vehicles.

    According to him, the facility will also have weigh measures not only for trucks, but also small cars travelling at night can stop over there and stay because there will be security. This will provide revenue for the state government because there will be employment for people and other small businesses can spring up also.

    “We have secured a land from Kogi State government along Abuja road, Enugu State government has also given us land in Obolo Afor and other state governments have indicated interest in the project,” he said, adding that the Council will soon introduce modern cargo tracking system.

    According to Bello, introducing cargo tracking device will help in revenue blockage and assist the Nigeria Customs  Service (NCS) in its revenue collection. He added that the Cargo Tracking and Advanced Cargo Information System is a trade facilitation system, which involves advance electronic transmission of cargo manifest ahead of the ships’ arrival.

    “Cargo tracking and advanced cargo information system is a trade facilitation system, which was introduced by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and is being supported by the Nigeria Customs Service.

    “The device is used to block revenue leakages at the ports. It enables Customs to place the correct duty on every cargo. We wouldn’t be having all these smuggling if we have the advanced cargo information system,” he said.