A former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC); Chief Adebayo Sarumi has urged the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola to enhance the legal framework governing the NSC, providing it with the necessary authority to enforce its mandate effectively.
Chief Sarumi, while speaking at the launch of a book authored by the NSC South West Director, Mr Moses Fadipe in Lagos last week, emphasized the critical need for empowering the Shippers Council with substantive legal provisions.
The former NSC Chief Executive, who is also a former Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) stressed that the current Shippers Council Act of 1978, no matter the amount of patching, lacks the teeth needed for robust enforcement.
Chief Sarumi further emphasized that the Shippers’ Council must be empowered to address issues effectively, citing instances where the lack of legal authority hindered their representation in international discussions on behalf of Nigerian shippers.
Drawing attention to the challenges faced during international engagements, Sarumi recalled a visit to Brussels where officials from the ministry represented Nigeria Shippers. According to him, the encounter revealed the limitations imposed by the current legal framework.
Sarumi called on the Minister to expedite process of giving Shippers’ Council legal authority and enforcement powers by ensuring the National Transport Commission (NTC) bill as well as the Nigerian Shipping and Port Economic Regulatory Agency bill is passed into Law.
Speaking to the incapability of the NSC, Sarumi stated that: “The law of Shippers Council of 1978 as we have it today, no matter the amount of patching that you have given it, unless you give it the real teeth to bite; no matter the number of Fadipe’s that come, they will only flex their muscles and go.
“I want to tell the representative of the honorable Minister that unless you give NSC the law to do it well, they will continue to go about things haphazardly the way I see people doing it now. Only NSC can bring about that order that we are looking for in the port”.
“Fadipe has already brought the problem into focus. But NSC has to be empowered and I have already told the new leaders of the Council that whichever way you go, the law that you have now does not empower you”.
However, speaking with Shipping Position Daily on the sidelines of the book presentation, the NSC South West Director, Mr Moses Fadipe provided insights into the progress of the two Shippers Council bills before the National Assembly, signaling optimism in the industry’s regulatory landscape.
Addressing the nuances in the NTC bill, Mr. Fadipe acknowledged its tumultuous journey through the legislative process, revealing that it is now poised for approval after being resubmitted for the third time. Expressing confidence in its eventual passage, Fadipe emphasized the bill’s significance in providing a robust regulatory framework for the industry.
He suggested that regulatory strength within the NSC could potentially obviate the necessity for the NTC, highlighting the concurrent pursuit of both bills as a strategic approach to fortify the regulatory landscape.
The NSC South West Director emphasized that while awaiting the enactment of these legislative measures, existing instruments such as the NPPM and Business Facilitation Act serve as effective tools for industry oversight.
“The NTC bill is still before the National assembly even though it was initially sent back two times during the time of President Buhari. It is now going back for the third time and I want to believe that nothing is going to stop it this time around.
“The Bill that recently passed second reading has to do with the Shipper Council Act of 1978. We need to strengthen that particular Act which is our regulatory powers. The NTC is to regulate the industry. Even without the NTC, if your regulatory powers are strong, do you need an NTC? We need to make our powers regulatory in nature and not advisory. So the two bills are running concurrently. Whichever comes out successful is a win-win for the Shippers’ Council”, Fadipe stated.
