The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Shippers

  • IDPs: Shippers to the rescue

    IDPs: Shippers to the rescue

    Things may not be getting worse for persons forced from their homes by the insurgents but some shippers who visited a camp in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) made the point that the victims of Boko Haram need more help. GRACE OBIKE reports

     

    The visitors brought quite a sizeable consignment of relief materials, but their message may be just as helpful as their gifts. There is much more to do for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    That was more or less the point made by members of the Nigerians Shippers Council Senior Staff Association (NSCSSA) who presented bags of rice and a load of other household needs on their visit to an IDPs camp in the FCT.

    Boko Haram has dealt a lifelong blow to its victims. Its fighters have killed thousands and wounded many more mainly in the Northeast. The invaders robbed homes, shops and farms before setting a good many on fire, leaving survivors with no choice but to flee. But such is the flight that virtually state in the country hosts a number of IDPs. And at a huge cost not only on themselves but also those who have to look after them.

    Yet, their squalid accommodation is far short; daily necessities even fewer. That is not all; at some point Abuja developers told them to evacuate. Before then, security personnel also clashed with them, leaving about five IDPs dead.

    That was, as it were, in the old order. Under the new administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari, things seem to be changing a bit for the better. But the IDPs still need help.

    The visiting members of the NSCSSA have said that although the government and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) are doing their best for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), they can afford to do more.

    NSCSSA painted a touching picture of people who escaped the only life they were accustomed to because of Boko Haram and now have to live in deplorable conditions, adding that  Nigerians who have the resources should help.

    President NSCSSA Comrade Mukhtar Adikwu said said that members of the association decided to contribute from their meagre salary to provide for the IDP’s because they realise that the situation that made some Nigerians displaced can happen to anyone and it is only when Nigerians come out en mass to contribute that these Nigerians will survive the situation that they have found themselves in.

    He added, “We discovered that this people are our brothers, who are displaced from their homes and we feel that as Nigerian workers, it is not really nice when you eat in your house and realise that others are not eating, you don’t feel comfortable at all so that is why we put our heads together and to take something out of our meagre salaries to come and assist the needy because it could be anybody because this one’s are displaced today, tomorrow it could be my relatives or even me, which is why we have come together to bring this items to this people to at least solve some of the problems they are encountering.

    “Some of the items that we brought here today are sixty bags of 25kg rice, twenty cartons of soap, eight cartons of vegetable oil, cartons of spices and clothing materials as well as liquid soap, these are what the staff of Nigerian shippers council are able to gather together especially the senior staff association and we are able to bring them here.

    ing that the place is conducive enough for their return, so the government is doing all it can but it should not only be left to the government alone, there are individuals who are worthy enough they should come out, there is nothing wrong with providing port cabins here, they should come out to support this people before they return because the government on its own after handling the insurgency will ensure that they clean up the place to ensure that the place is safe enough to return to.”

     

  • Shippers to Buhari: reposition maritime

    Shippers to Buhari: reposition maritime

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to reposition the maritime industry.

    The Shippers Association of Lagos State said Buhari should tackle the high cost of cargo processing at seaports, which, it said, is caused by the multiple charges on imported goods.

    Speaking in Lagos, the association’s President Mr Jonathan Nicol, listed the five per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) and the one per cent Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) charge as  some of the charges.

    The others are the 35 per cent Automobile Levy and the Common External Tariffs levy.

    According to him, these charges on one consignment affect shippers’ profit.

    The shippers urged the Federal Government to cut the costs to make business easy at the ports.

    They also urged the Federal Ministry of Finance to assist to solve  shippers’ problems.

    The shippers’ boss said the government should think about the huge investments in building seaports as well as maritime prospects in the next 20 years to attract more cargo.

    Nicol also suggested that plans must be made by the government to secure and promote the local industries, the manufacturing sector and the shippers.

    He noted that it was the duty of the government to encourage private entrepreneurs toward sustainable contributions to developing the economy.

    “When you add the costs of generating power in a factory with salaries, these costs cannot be by-passed whether you like it or not.

    “You must provide power for your factory and you must pay staff salaries,” he said.

    Nicol said the bottlenecks at the ports were the reason the government’s appointed the Council as the economic regulator, adding that the Council was aware of some of the problems.

     

  • Provide conducive atmosphere for new port order, Shippers’ Council urges FG

    Provide conducive atmosphere for new port order, Shippers’ Council urges FG

    The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC)  yesterday  urged the Federal Government to provide a more conducive atmosphere to achieve the new port order.

    The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Mr Hassan Bello, made the plea during a two-day training programme on effective media practice for maritime journalists with the theme, “A New Port Order: A New Maritime Media,’’  in Lagos.

    The new port order is designed  to ensure that the nation’s ports become as efficient as what could be obtained in other advanced countries.

    An efficient port order  discourages diversion of ships to neighbouring countries, increases vessel and cargo traffic and generates more revenue for government and service providers.

    Bello said the need for good maritime reports could not be over-emphasised because the media were among the change agents of operations in the industry.

    “If maritime reporters are performing their roles effectively, everybody in the sector will do the right thing at the appropriate time,” Bello said according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    “Maritime reporters need to upgrade their knowledge of the familiar trends in the industry and should report critically,’’ Bello said.

    He also said that for quick and positive results of the new port order, procedures should be carried out appropriately as being done globally.

    The NSC chief also  stressed   the need to introduce automation into the system, saying this would reduce delay in all chains of shipping until the consignments get to the owner.

    The Executive Secretary said there had been reduction in delay in shipping processes, adding that Nigerian ports need to be competitive to attract more shippers who would use them as preferred destinations.

    “Before we can achieve new port order, Nigerian ports must be efficient.

    “Nigeria has 860 km nautical miles with 26 terminal operators and the competition needs to be supervised,”  Bello said.

    He said there should be a moderator to checkmate the operations of the terminal operators as well as the shipping companies.

    Bello said there must be equilibrium in operations which would stimulate positive competition and efficiency in the port system.

  • Shippers seek media pact

    Shippers seek media pact

    The Management of Nigerian Shippers Council Southeast zone has expressed their desire to collaborate with the media in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State and other states in the southeast in its efforts to promote the activities of the Council and educating business owners especially, importers in Aba and Southeast in general.

    The zonal coordinator of the council, Mr. Christian Chimezie made their intention to partner with the media known when he led a delegation of management staff of the Shippers’ Council on a courtesy visit to the General Manager Nigerian Television Authority, NTA Channel 6 Aba Chief Lola Helen Ebueku and other management team.

    Chimezie in an address presented at the event lamented that many importers, industrialists, exporters and manufacturers in the southeast had been incurring losses and being charged exorbitantly while importing and exporting their goods at the ports.

    He said that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) as a body charged with the responsibility of regulating economic activities in the country’s ports, that they were going to guide the importers and exporters with the right information and knowledge on international trade and other related businesses including ancillary services in a way that will be more profitable to them.

    The leader of the delegation acknowledging the effectiveness and impact of the media messages expressed optimism that their partnership with the media in Aba, Abia and southeast would help them to disseminate the right information about government decisions and policies as it pertains economic activities within Nigerian ports, adding that the need for them to synergize with the media cannot be over emphasized.

    He used the opportunity to disclose that arrangements towards the establishment of an Inland Containers Depot at Isiala Ngwa ICD has been completed, adding that they were waiting response from the Abia State Government to enable the center to take off and expressed hope that the if the bottlenecks were sorted out, the Isiala Ngwa ICD would be completed and start functioning within 18months.

    Responding on behalf of the management of NTA Channel 6, the Aba General Manager promised that her station would assist the NSC in order to ensure that the Aba and indeed, the southeast business community were properly educated and enlightened about the Shippers’ Council activities and programmes.

    High point of the visit was the presentation and handing over of souvenirs of the council to the management for more information about the activities of the NSC.

  • Agents, shippers urge Buhari to review 70% duty

    The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has urged President-elect Muhammadu Buhari to review the automotive policy, which imposes 70 per cent levy on imported vehicles, pending the mass production of Made-in-Nigeria vehicles.

    The 70 per cent levy was introduced by the Jonathan administration to support the local industry.

    ANLCA President Prince Olayiwola Shittu said the 35 per cent duty imposed on used vehicles is obnoxious and urged the in-coming administration to review the policy.

    High port charges, Shittu said, have increased the costs of doing business and encouraged diversion of cargoes to neighbouring countries’ ports, thus, leading to loss in government’s revenue.

    “The in-coming administration needs to review the auto policy and make the port attractive for business. The maritime sector is confronted with many problems that need to be addressed to boost trade and generate employment,” he said.

    Also, the Shippers’ Association Lagos State (SALS) has urged the incoming government to assist shippers in reducing the costs of doing business at the seaports.

    Its President, Mr Jonathan Nicol, lamented that the high port charges had affected the costs of doing business in the country.

    He said: “We have a very big problem in the maritime sector. We believe that government will stick to the maritime sector as one of the most important aspects of the nation’s economy.

    “This will enable other Nigerian shippers, who have gone to the neighbouring ports to come back.”

    Nicol said Nigerians were still expecting basic infrastructure such as good roads, water supply, uninterrupted power supply, good health facilities and free education.

    He also joined ANLCA to urge the government to reverse the automotive policy which imposed a 70 per cent levy and duty on imported vehicles, pending the large production of Made-in-Nigeria cars.

    “If the automotive policy comes into existence without sufficient production of cars in the country, such a policy may destroy the transport sector,’’ Nicol said.

     

  • Court strikes out suit against Shippers Council

    Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos has struck out a suit filed by Seaports Terminal  Operators of Nigeria (STOAN) against the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) due to non-compliance with the court’s rules.

    The judge said the parties came by way of originating summons but did not raise issues (question) for determination.

    “Since the court cannot proceed without knowing the right and interest of the parties which are inextricably tied to the question of determination, the court cannot proceed on that,” he held.

    The terminal operators on October 31 secured an interim injunction stopping the NSC from implementing the new directive on port charges.

    The  NSC had on October 29 published an advertisement announcing the reversal of the unilateral increase in storage charges at the ports by terminal operators.

    The storage charges was last increaed by the government on May 1, 2009.

    NSC also ordered an increase in the storage period at the ports from three days to seven days. It also directed shipping companies to reduce their charges from N26,500 to N23,850 (20 ft container) and from N48,000 to N40,000 (40 ft container).

    NSC further asked shipping agencies to refund container deposits to importers and agents within 10 days after the return of the empty containers.

  • Shippers Council to make ports competitive

    The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) is set to make the nation’s seaports competitive, The Nation has learnt.

    The Council, it was gathered, is not happy that the ports have lost the comparative advantage in terms of cost and others to ports of neighbouring countries, especially in cargo clearance hence the need to appoint an economic regulator for the ports.

    Its Executive Secretary Mr Hassan Bello said the loss informed the decision of the Federal Government to appoint NSC as regulators of the ports.

    He said the country will regain the loss, adding that the Council and the affected stakeholders must see themselves as partner in progress.

    Bello said the absence of an economic regulator after the ports were concessioned made it difficult for Nigerians to reap the full benefits of the port reform programme of the government.

    “After the implementation of the Federal Government’s port reform programme which led to the concession of port terminals to private operators, the government noticed a disturbing vacuum in the sector, namely, the absence of an economic regulator that will act as a referee in the industry.

    “This vacuum made it difficult for Nigerians to enjoy the gains of the programme

    “The inefficiency in the procedures and operations of agencies and service providers and even users is adversely affecting and undermining Nigeria’s competitive advantage in international trade.”

    He said effective regulation requires much more than just competent economic and financial analysis, but must also being able to manage complex interaction with the regulated firms, consumers, politicians, courts, the media, and other interests.

    Bello said much was being expected from the council, adding that the benefits of a regulated port industry would lead to improved revenue generation, infrastructural development, creation of efficient market, reduction of cost of business and improved Global Competitive Index and consequent attraction of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

  • NPA, Shippers Council quarrel over berth rent

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) are flexing muscles over control of the ports.

    The NSC is said to be irked by what it called the arbitrary hike in berth rent by NPA without its consent as commercial regulator of the ports.

    NSC Executive Secretary Mr Hassan Bello, it was learnt, has stopped the arbitrary hike because the Council was not consulted before it was imposed by the NPA.

    Bello’s action followed a complaint by Port and Terminal Operator Limited (PTOL), a concessionaire at Port Harcourt Port in Rivers State.

    A Shippers’ Council team led by Bello was informed by PTOL General Manager Abdullahi Ahmed that NPA informed terminal operators of the hike during a meeting.

    Bello was said to have expressed concern that NPA met with the terminal operators without informing the council.

    Ahmed told Bello that his company spent about N3.2 billion to re-inforce berths 1 to 3, which are part of the area concessioned to it by the NPA.

    Berth 4, sources said, will cost about N4 billion to maintain.

    If the maintenance had been done about two years ago, a source said, it would not have cost more than N2.7 billion

    In a July 22 circular, NPA was said to have notified termminal operators of the increase in berth rent.

    Efforts to get NPA’s reaction through its Public Relations Officers,  Musa Illiya and Isa Suwaid, failed. Illiya’s phone was switced off and a text message sent to  Suwaid was not replied as at the time of filing this report.

    Meanwhile, Bello has said Nigeria cannot be classified as a maritime nation, until it has an impressive fleet.

    What qualifies a country as a maritime nation, according to him,  is the number and quality of its ships and vessels.

    Bello told The Nation that the Council is working out modalities to make it a truly commercial and economic regulator of the port.

    “Since Mr President announced NSC as the economic regulator of ports in the country, we have been working hard. We have been consulting with all shipping lines, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), NPA, Customs etc. This is because we recognise that there are many interests,” he said.

    The Council, Bello said, would support local operators to own ships.

    “If we have indigenous carriers, it will boost the nation’s portfolio. Even if we cannot own vessels, at least, we can charter. This we have made clear to Mr. President.

    “Shippers associations ought to be the owners of the business. They are, by right, supposed to dictate the pace of the industry. The original intention is gradually being lost,” Bello said.

    The port, he said, plays a crucial role in the economy of many countries, promising to make Nigeria’s ports the hub of maritime operations in Africa.

    A right pricing mechanism would promote the ports prosperity, he said, adding: “Wrong pricing can guide port to inefficiency or even extinction. Also a high pricing could deprive a port of high patronage of vessels and cargoes.

    “Wrong prices will reduce demand for cargo services and when the demand for port services as  equipment at the ports would be underutilised. Even with monopoly, high port prices will hurt those the port is suppose to serve.

    “Low port prices, on the other hand, could bring life into a port, but congestion may be the order of the day,” he said.

  • Council seeks to register terminal operators

    Terminal operators have  been directed to register with  the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) for accurate measurement of their performances and investments, The Nation has learnt.

    The agency, it was gathered, has also deployed over 30 of its officers to monitor terminal operators and shipping firms to ensure sanity in the ports system.

    NSC Executive Secretary Hassan Bello told The Nation that operators must support the Council by allowing its officers free access into their terminals and is releasing information to them.

    He said, henceforth, terminal operators must register with the body, adding that this was part of the port concession agreement signed by operators.

    “By the powers conferred on us, terminal operators have to give us unfettered access to their premises so that we would have supervisory ability to monitor and coordinate any activity within the terms of our instruction from the Federal Government.

    “We will come to you and enter your terminals. We are not going to sit at our own table in the office and carry out this important responsibility; from now on, you will have Shippers Council staff coming round. The idea is not only to supervise your operations, but to also deliver service to you. If you have any complaints, you should tell us and we will intervene.

    “We are also very interested in disclosure; you will have to register with the Shippers’ Council. It is there in the concession agreement; you have to give us certain information and this is also specified, this is what we will use to measure the efficiency of the terminal operator,” Bello said

    Bello urged the operators to be more efficient in cargo  handling.

    “Without the Shippers’ Council, concessionaires will not be able to function,” he said.

    Bello warned operators against bad practices, such as rent-seeking, unnecessary delays of cargoes and  charges, among others.

    “They must not increase their charges without consultation with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council. We know that charges are not static, sometimes they go up and sometimes they come down, but we are concerned with the quality of service they render,” Bello said.

    Meanwhile, stakeholders have  called on the government to empower the Council and give the presidential nod for the its new status.

    At a forum organised by the agency in Kaduna, the Director, Monitoring Department of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ibrahim Kashim, said the Council needed to be empowered.

    Also, the Director, Legal Drafting Department, Federal Ministry of Justice, Alhaji Hamzat Alhassan Tahir, said the ministry was looking at powers to enable the Shippers’ Council to act as an economic regulator.

  • Conference holds in Delta

    Conference holds in Delta

    This year’s Shipping Career Summit organised by Ships and Ports Communication Company Limited will hold on Thursday in Effurun, Delta State

    Its Chief Executive Officer, Bolaji Akinola said the summit was to enlighten Nigerians and other investors on the various careers and investment opportunities available in the maritime sector.

    The summit, he said, would also empower participants, especially youths, who would  take advantage of the opportunities through mentoring.

    Akinola said Nigerians should not have any business with poverty or unemployment, considering the vast resources, especially its enormous maritime potential.

    He said the maiden edition of the forum held at the MUSON Centre at Onikan, Lagos, in July 2006.

    He noted that the summit has also been held at Abeokuta, Yenagoa and Makurdi.

    He said Warri was chosen for this year’s event “because of its large population of youths and because it is a natural maritime domain with ports in Warri, Koko and Burutu; a maritime university; several maritime training institutions; the NIMASA shipyard and several shipping operations domiciled in the state.”

    Resource persons for the seminar include former President, Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM), Captain Adewale Ishola; Honorary Secretary, Institute of Marine Engineering Science, and Technology (IMarEST), Alex Peters; and President, Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Nigeria, Mrs. Jean Chiazor-Anishere.

    Others include Executive Secretary, Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr Hassan Bello and Director-General, NIMASA, Mr. Patrick Akpobolokemi.