The Institute of Chattered Shipbrokers (ICS) yesterday launched its Nigerian Chapter, assuring that business of ship brokerage would now be carried out professionally as the institute is set to build ship brokerage professionals.
Speaking at the launching in Lagos yesterday, President of the institute in Nigeria, Capt. Samuel Olanrewaju said the ICS is an institute of all commercial shipping professionals which was established. 100 years ago with headquarters in London.
He said the certificates of the institute is respected worldwide, adding that Nigeria is the second after Ghana to get the chapter in West Africa.
Capt. Olanrewaju said that one of the advantages of having the institute in Nigeria is to advise both the government and the private sector in ship acquisition processes.
"In Nigeria today, people are doing all sorts of stupid things with their businesses, for example, people go out there to buy ships that are scraps as new vessels and bring them to Nigeria, they are bypassing the shipbrokers"
"A lot of those vessels anchored are now turning into wrecks. Whether we like it or not, it is eating into our foreign reserve because an average offshore vessel costs 34million dollars"
"So, Nigerians can use this platform to get professionals to do the business for them"
"This Nigerian chapter has been in the pipelines for years and this is the time we need it most. We are happy to debut in this country, we want to contribute our own quota into growing the economy, without people knowing us, there is nothing we can do"
"We have professionals in brokering tanker business, if they come into the business they would help the government identify vessels they could readily employ" he said
Also speaking at the event, a representative of Executive Secretary of Shippers Council, Barr. Hassan Bello, Mrs Enoche Ogenyi said that the exams of the ICS is now being taken by some members of shippers council.
He said that in the future, the ICS certificate would be made a criteria for carriar progression at the Council.
Also speaking, representative of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Maduka Hope said that recent changes in NIMASA has brought some fellows ICS into strategic positions in NIMASA.
He assured that the agency would support all what ICS is doing to empower indigenous operators.
He also charged the institute to educate the government on the need to change the terms of carriage of Nigerian crude from Free on Board (FOB) basis to Cost Insurance and Freight (CIF)
While launching the institute proper, Acting Director General of Chamber of Shipping, Mr. Bukola Lawal noted that the ICS is an institute that stakeholders have been striving to have in the country but it has now been brought to their door step.
"ICS would give more opportunity to our people to be internationally recognised, we would also partner with you to train our professionals to be internationally recognised"
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