The Nigeria Shippers’ Council has been advised to carry all critical stakeholders along in the execution of its mandate as the commercial regulator of the port system, even as haulage operators in the maritime sector have expressed disappointment that they were excluded from the last forum organised by the council.
The Nigeria Shippers’ Council has been advised to carry all critical stakeholders along in the execution of its mandate as the commercial regulator of the port system, even as haulage operators in the maritime sector have expressed disappointment that they were excluded from the last forum organised by the council.
The maritime truck owners in a chat with Auto Port Weekly last week in Lagos said the council in its recent forum snubbed the truckers from making any significant inputs to solve some of the issues which border on vehicles, traffic and road challenges that being faced in the industry.
The transporters under the auspices Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Tin Can Island Chapter described the outcome of the event organised by the council tagged "48 Hour Cargo Clearance Target At Nigerian Ports” as marginalisation of road transporters.
According to RTEAN at the port level, maritime is never complete without movement of consignments to their final destinations and the transporters fall within the supply chain logistics providers.
However the truckers lamented that they were marginalised at the meeting even as they stressed that the council’s forum was incomplete.
Chairman of RTEAN , Tin Can Island Port Chapter, Alhaji Isiaka Olalere in a chat with our correspondent said, "we are going to write a letter to them as a reminder that we are stakeholders and whenever such programmes are organised we should be allowed to make our contributions because without us, maritime activities is not complete".
Olalere stated that all the truck associations and companies in the port system are important thus the need to make contributions to ameliorate some of challenges faced is paramount.
"Though we are abandoned at the last meeting is not a big deal to us but we believe that if we do not let the public and the stakeholders know what the problems are, nobody will be able to tell them how to go about."
According to him, NARTO, AMATO, MWUN drivers’ unit and RTEAN are forces to reckon with in the industry.
"I have mandated my officers to write a letter to the Nigeria Shippers’ council that we were marginalised and that when next they want to have such occasion they should allow us to make our inputs".
Also responding, the association's treasurer, Comrade Gerard Govinson lamented that the transporters were invited at the forum, but they were deprived from making necessary contributions.
He advised the council to be impartial when dealing with stakeholders
"Though they invited the transporters at the forum, but they never allowed us to make our contributions and whatever the reasons, I don't know.
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