Shippers Organise To Influence Policies

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Amidst growing concerns over arbitrary shipping charges and unfavourable policies, Nigeria’s shippers have set up a national structure to confront all adverse operating environment and government policies.

Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, Hassan Bello, on the back of this development, has listed the issues he expects the new structure to address.

The new national structure is formed as National Shippers Association of Nigeria,  NASAN, to aggregate the various state shippers organisations.

Speaking at the inauguration of the leadership of the new body, Bello said that “shippers have the capacity to negotiate freight rates, shipping procedures,  International Commercial Terms,  INCOTERMS, which is the contract of carriage of goods/ affreightment. They can negotiate with providers of shipping services.”

He stated further: “You see today about 27 states are here because shipping is not coastal, there must be hinterland; there are shippers everywhere, in every state there are shippers.

“We are strict on who is a shipper. A shipper must be somebody who imports or exports on a regular basis.

“That will mean they can represent the Nigerian Shippers at international forum and can also influence decisions of the federal government, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and others as far as shipping is concerned.”

Dr. Innocent Akuvue, President of Rivers Bayelsa Shippers Association (RIBASA) emerged the first President General of   NASAN, while Muhammed Jamilu Umar, emerged as Vice President, and Ijeoma Ezeosor the Secretary-General.

Akuvue vowed that he would work with maritime stakeholders on different ports and try to streamline procedures and processes to make clearing, importing, and exporting much more convenient.

– Vanguard

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