The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello has urged Nigerian freight forwarders to operate in line with international best practices.
Hassan made the plea in Lagos in a message to a one-day training programme on ICT organized for freight forwarders by NSC and the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) Hassan, who was represented by the Director, Commercial Shipping Service of NSC, Mrs Dabney Shall-Holma, said the training was meant to facilitate online operation of the freight forwarders.
The executive secretary said that “if freight forwarders are properly trained, it would minimize unethical practices”. He said that such training would also promote efficiency in service delivery at the ports. “It is in this light that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council as part of its regulatory mandate is striving to bring service improvement to the ports.
“In spite of the immense contributions of freight forwarding to the socio-economic development of Nigeria, the standard of practice has been poorly rated. “This is because the profession has become an all comers’ affair; which is inimical to smooth and efficient clearance of goods in Nigerian Ports.
The National President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu, urged the resource firm, Vestracter International Logistics and Freight Management Software, to make its charges affordable for Nigerians to patronize them. “We are large in number because the number of freight forwarders in Nigeria cannot be compared with that of any country in Africa. “Nigerian price should be cheaper going by our numerical strength, ’’ Shittu said. According to him, the N26, 000 monthly subscription proposed by the firm (Vestracker) is on the high side.
The ANLCA chief said that the charges by the firm should be reduced to enable many members access the service. Mr Stanley Ezenga, the Public Relations Officer, National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that, freight forwarders had been longing for the programme. “With the online software, we can conveniently track consignments and upload the Bill of Lading,’’ Ezenga said.
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