A cross section of participants at the meeting.
Story by Dili Utomi.
A stakeholder’s meeting between the Nigeria Shippers’ Council and all operators that come under its Regulated Service Providers such as the Nigerian Ports Authority, Seaports Terminal Authority, Shipping Companies and Agencies, Off Dock Terminal Operators, Cargo Consolidations, Logistics Service Providers, Freight Forwarders and Clearing Agents, Inland Container Depot Operators, Stevedoring Companies and other Ports Service Providers or Users took place at the conference hall, 2nd floor of the NSC building on Monday.
The executive secretary of the Council was represented at the meeting by Chief CC Agu, the Director, Consumer Protection department. Chief Agu said in his opening address that the meeting was set up to acquaint all stakeholders with the fact that they are moving from manual registration of all operators under their regulation to online registration. He added that a manual that directs one on the steps to take has been released and is made available to everyone. He unequivocally stated that “all operators are bound by the NSC (Port Economic Regulations) Act of 2015 to register with the Council.
Chief Agu also warned that “You cannot come to us for assistance if you are not registered with the NSC, you have to register to derive the inherent benefits”. He noted that part of the exercise is geared towards having a database of information on all operators and so the Council can no longer tolerate unregistered operators.
There was a PowerPoint demonstration of the process of registration by the ICT department of the Council and questions and answers followed. Various amounts are attached to every category of operator to be registered ranging from thirty thousand naira (#30,000.00) to three hundred thousand naira (#300,000.00).
Dominic Chukwuemeka, a licensed Customs Agent posed the question “On which legal framework is the registration process hinged as this will form a duplication of processes, we have already registered with the Nigeria Customs Service”.
The representative of the executive secretary while answering the question posed by the Agent quoted the Act stated above as the piece of legislation that empowers the NSC to register operators. He also added that registration with the NSC is different from that of the Council for the Registration of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (CRFFN) which is a body saddled with professionalising the practice of freight forwarding and that they will soon start the enforcement of registration.
Clinton Okoro, a freight forwarder also stated that the CRFFN is constitutionally empowered to regulate freight forwarders while the NSC is the economic regulator of the Ports and asks that the representative of the CRFFN speak up. He also added that this was not the first time the that they are being asked to register, but that the idea was resisted last year because of the financial implications.
The representative of the CRFFN on his part stated that every agency of government that operates within the Ports has the piece of legislation empowering it to perform certain statutory roles.
Chief CC Agu left and Mr. CC Akujiobi both of the NSC right.
Another staff of the Council who gave answers to some of the questions is Mr. CC Akujiobi, he said that “You can register with the NSC as a prerequisite for registration with other regulatory Agencies within the Port area”.
Mr. Ifeanyi Emoh, a freight forwarder raised the questions of the benefit of registeration to operators and the incessant delays in the cargo clearance processes. These questions were answered by Chief Agu who detailed the benefits which are embedded in the registration as a registered operator is bound to be attended to by relevant staff of the NSC on any legitimate issue, that all complaints including those against the Shipping Companies and Terminal Operators would be speedily attended to and that again, the name of the registered individual or corporate entity will be in the database as a legitimate operator.
Chief Osita Chukwu of the Safe Nigeria Group praised the prompt attention given to raised issues by the NSC and urges them to continue to give their very best. He also urged all operators not to see the registration as any form of exploitation, but a means for the NSC to know the number of entities that they are dealing with.
Raheem Moruf of the Truckers Union (NAMTOP) expressed the fear that most of the members of their association might not be able to register for various reasons, but Chief Agu directed him to the complaints department so that they can reach a workable arrangement for their members to be registered.
Alhaji Nofiu of the exporters Union also commended the Council for some of its particular achievements in the area of dispute resolutions and promptness in attending to issues that crop up especially the one he had in Port Harcourt some years back.
More operators complain about the multiplicity of payments that they always have to make while registering with one regulator or the other, they say that these multiple payments are creating a whole lot of financial burden on them and their businesses, but the NSC encourages them to register and get the accruable benefits therein.
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