Apparently worried by the persistent delay in the process of cargo clearance, the Presidential committee on port reforms is about to introduce a new system of cargo clearance which in its opinion, will hasten the procedure for cargo clearance in Nigerian ports.
This hint was given yesterday by a member of the committee and the national president of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu.
Apparently worried by the persistent delay in the process of cargo clearance, the Presidential committee on port reforms is about to introduce a new system of cargo clearance which in its opinion, will hasten the procedure for cargo clearance in Nigerian ports.
This hint was given yesterday by a member of the committee and the national president of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu.
Prince Shittu, who is also the chairman of the technical sub-committee for western zone told reporters in Lagos yesterday that the sub-committee took it upon itself to find a lasting solution to the lingering problems that are associated with cargo clearance in the ports.
According to him, the committee co-opted stakeholders including freight forwarding associations. He also added that an earlier promise by the government to facilitate members’ fact-finding visitation to ports in other West African countries could not be met because there was no budgetary provision for such an exercise. “What we did as a committee was to rely on contacts, and I did one or two travels as chairman on my own”, he stated.
He disclosed that these efforts led to the birth of what the sub-committee has tagged: ‘the five smart steps to cargo clearance’, even as he explained that it is the template that the sub-committee has submitted to the larger committee for final approval.
The new template is to be passed across to the National Economic Council, which will inturn, pass it to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for final approval, he disclosed.
According to him, “the five smart steps to cargo clearance is designed to change the face of cargo clearing in Nigeria, to decongest the ports, decongest human traffic within the ports and to ease cargo clearance within 48 hours and not more than 72 hours”.
He confirmed that already freight forwarders have bought into the new method. But he added that the committee is yet to meet with the chief executive of shipping companies and terminal operators, because it is not ready to meet mid level managers of these stakeholders groups.
Shittu also assured that as soon as the two ministers; that is, transport and finance are able to find a common time to come over to Lagos to meet with the stakeholders.
Discussion about this post