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By Steve Agbota
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has enlisted 160 port operators into its Regulated Port Service Provider and Users platform since the initiative came into existence in 2023.
Speaking on the sideline of a sensitisation programme by the commission for port operators in Lagos, the Executive Secretary of NSC, Mr. Pius Akutah, said that the 160 registered port operators consists of agencies, terminal operators, shipping companies, individual port users as well as service providers.
Akutah, who was represented by Director Consumer Affairs, Cajetan Agu, emphasised the significance of the programme for stakeholders. He said that the sensitisation programme was the second edition after its commencement during the last quarter of 2023.
“We invited the ports stakeholders to enlighten them on the processes for online registration of Regulated Port Service Provider and Users. We have demonstrated to them how to register and how to make payment and we were able to present before them the various categories of the registration.
“The rate of payment is also in the registration. The payment of each group depends on the operation. A shipper pays N30,000, terminal operators and shipping companies pay N300,000, truckers also pay N30,000 while some pay N50,000 as well as N100,000,” he said.
According to him, the council was able to intimate port operators on the benefits but said that there is need to continue to work with port operators to stop delays and also eliminate high costs to make the port efficient.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Director, Stakeholders, Service, NSC, Mr. Celestine Akujobi, said the sensitisation exercise is important for the council to enable it bring all the port stakeholders together, saying this is to avoid challenges during the implementation of the council responsibilities.
“By the time we introduce sanctions on defaulters, no operator will complain that he or she is not aware of the registration. I’m happy with the turnout of this sensitisation. This shows that the operators are well informed of the statutory fiction of the council as the port regulator.
“The final implementation will commence as soon as we discover that all the operators have keyed into the portal. We are engaging other ports across the country and we are hopeful that before the last quater of 2024, the council will implement sanctions on the defaulting operators,” Akujobi said.
The Vice Chairman, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwards (NAGAFF), Ifeanyi Emoh, said that port challenges are enormous, adding that they originated from some of the government agencies.
Emoh urged the council to look into regulating other government agencies, so that they could be for a window where they collected port challenges collectively instead of indiscriminate charges.
Also, a member of the National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents, Mr. Abayomi Duyile, commended NSC, saying that the sensitisation would enable both the government agencies and port users to operate on the same level.
The Chairman, Board of Trustee (BoT), NEXUS Association of Maritime Truckers Operators (NAMTOP), Mr. Raheem Morufu, said he registered since November 2023, but found it difficult to register on the NSC portal.
“I’m now well informed after the training that everyone will register regardless of their operations so as to be attended to when there is a challenge. I want to commend NSC for their intervention when the shipping companies overcharged me. I was able to be refunded N20 million after the intervention,” he said.
