SHIPPERS: Dr. Akuvue Emerges As NASAN President General

The National  Shippers Association of Nigeria (NASAN) has elected Dr. Innocent Akuvue as the president general to pilot the affairs of the association for two years.

At the end of the electioneering process, Dr  Akuvue, who emerged winner as PG, was  the President of Rivers/ Bayelsa Shippers Association (RIBASA) .

Others who were elected unopposed include; Muhammed Jamilu Umar as Vice President, while Ijeoma Ezeosor is the Secretary General.

Barr Ibrahim Mustapha as Assistant Secretary, Ayo Odekunle as Treasurer, Otaka Kalu Uche as Financial Secretary and Muazu Yakubu as the National Welfare Officer.

In his acceptance speech, the newly elected  NASAN President General , promised that he would collaborate with maritime stakeholders across various seaports and try to streamline procedures and processes to make clearing, importing and exporting much more convenient and attractive.

He added that it would not be a case of the association working alone, as if they don’t synergize with other people, they would not work effectively.

“This is an association that we created to carter for shippers, and they are importers, exporters and their goods.

“Our role is to create enough awareness for shippers to know what their likes are, for them to know how to process imports and exports documentations.

“There are a lot is issues, like port congestions, this is because people have imported things that they are not meant to import, also because they did not follow the processes right.

“My work with my team is to create enough sensitisation,and awareness on how people need to do business and to do it right. So going forward, we are going to see a total new organisation, a set of shippers within a short time,” he said.

He noted that he was not in a hurry to dwell into policies that affect shippers which needed to be changed, but needed to sit down and go through those policies, digest and understand them better before coming out with anything.

He said that on issue of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s increase in exchange rate for customs duty, he posited on the need to understand why it was done, as they would not want to rush to criticise policies.

“ I am an importer so I know the change that are sacred but now that I am going to speaks from an organisation, we need to understand why certain positions are taken before we make our own case,” he said.

Speaking during the inauguration, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Barr Hassan Bello called on the newly elected officials to engage the government on policies that would improve the business of import and export.

The Shippers Council boss said it is the duty of the newly inaugurated NASAN to engage the government and ensure reduction in dwell time of cargo.

According to him, :“You should also ask for the simplification of processes and procedures, we should ask for digitalisation of our ports.

“I am happy to inform you that digitalisation of our ports has gotten to a very critical stage where most of our terminals have really grown up, we are insisting that they must have 90percent compliance, the banks must come in, so that you can transact even without coming to Lagos, the freight forwarders, truckers and shipping lines must be online, this would stop the corruption going on at the port”

He enjoin the group to elect officers who are genuine and regular importers and exporters to pilot the affairs of the NASAN.