The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) has applauded the move by the Senate to ensure the passage of the National Transport Commission (NTC) bill.
In a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos, yesterday, the Acting National Director of CILT, Mr. Paul Ndibe, however cautioned the government to look at the bill very seriously, even as he advised the government to look critically into its existing agencies to see if any of them can be charged with the responsibility, pending till the full implementation of the act.
Explaining, he said “whether it is a move in the right direction or it is a move at all is something we may have to look at very seriously. The issue of a National Transport Commission has long been expected. We have been expecting something like this’’
Now that the government is coming out with NTC, the critical thing is that in other not to have a multiplicity of agencies, it might be necessary to look into the agencies of the government to see if there is any of the agencies whose duties is closely related to the functions of NTC and then allow that organisation to commence implementation. And once that implementation has started the government will now look at how to expand it”.
Mr. Ndibe, also maintained that if they government should establish another agency fully as NTC, it will increase the wage bill of the government which he said is not good.
“If they come out with a new organisation they will have a litany of staff and that will increase the wage bill of the government. So if currently the responsibilities that this commission is outline and then the government can look inward and see how it can be allowed to be subjected to an agency of the government that is closely doing something close to that’’, he said.
Speaking further on the congestion surcharge recently introduced by some shipping companies, he applauded the move, saying that it is a move in the right direction in as much as it will take care of the decayed infrastructure.
“On the recent increment of charges, the issue of infrastructure provision is a critical element of any organization and that is why in most cases government is interested to take of the issue of infrastructure provision and let organisation run leaving those infrastructures. In this issue lack of infrastructure could result to additional charges and that infrastructure is provided by external body in other to facilitate operation and a charge is raised in other to offset the bills of setting such infrastructure. I don’t think is it bad if it will resolve inefficiency and it will bring down cost. The cost of having the facilities and the efficiency they will drive due to the facility in place”, he concluded.
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