POST COVID19: Advocacy Group Seeks Partnership With Shippers’ Council On Information Sharing

Apparently satisfied with the resilience and proactive steps taking during the peak of the COVID19 pandemic in line with port operations, the Advocacy For Maritime Development Association of Nigeria (AMDAN),has harped on strategic partnership with the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) on information sharing to boost trade facilitation and port efficiency.

President of the group, Mr Oluwasegun Alabi, who disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the council on Monday, stated that Hassan Bello management team of the Council did the unthinkable during the peak of the COVID19 lockdown by providing buses for maritime stakeholders saying it was unprecedented in the history of the industry adding that the intervention came at the right time.

The group’s president affirmed that the Council was strategic in ensuring the sustainability of port efficiency and the seamless flow of cargoes in and out of the seaport during the period.

Alabi stated that the ports in Lagos would have experienced congestion, delay in cargo clearance and additional cost of cargo clearance but the council was able to make the all process seamless during the lockdown.

He also assured that the advocacy group would work closely with the port economic regulatory agency on information sharing on port activities to move the sector forward.

The group boss also commended the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) for the roles played during the peak of lockdown owing to Covid-19.

“I want to thank NSC for its remarkable faith and intervention during the covid months, its supportive weight behind the waiver granted during that time also reporting some company and terminal that did comply and the provision of buses for maritime workers as palliative.

“I admire the courage of the management team of Shippers Council and we want to say that partnership in the area of information exchange is key because advocacy members are daily movers of cargo and are usually on ground at the port to assist with information.

“We also promise to work with the council to actualize government policy on ease of doing business “,he added.

On his part, Executive Secretary, NSC Hassan Bello, while responding was quoted saying they were delighted to receive the team and promised to work with the group.

Bello in the statement, took time to enumerate some of the challenges NSC is faced with in the hands of the private investors and the uncompetitiveness of the shipping company and terminal operators both in their billing and service delivery.

He also mentioned the constraints faced by the council in the lingered legal tussle between NSC and shipping company which is currently pending before the supreme court.

By Roland Ekama