The Nigerian Shippers Council has called on operators in the industry to embrace discipline in order to achieve common goals in the maritime sector.
That was the advice of the Executive Secretary of the Council; Captain Adamu Biu when he revived members of Maritime Traders Association which paid him a courtesy visit In Lagos yesterday.
The Nigerian Shippers Council has called on operators in the industry to embrace discipline in order to achieve common goals in the maritime sector.
That was the advice of the Executive Secretary of the Council; Captain Adamu Biu when he revived members of Maritime Traders Association which paid him a courtesy visit In Lagos yesterday.
The executive secretary advised members of the association to shun indiscipline for the economy to move forward, even as he urged the president of the association to enlighten his members in the area of discipline, noting that “ in Nigeria today, the major reason we have problem is because of indiscipline".
"We have enjoyed working with you but we have to look beyond today, let us try to make sure that our members are disciplined, our members should play by the rules and our members should do things that will make us proud”, he advised.
Capt Biu also told members of the association that “the business of shipping is like a family where everybody knows one another and when the children go astray, they can be corrected” and assured that the Council will support the association positively in the areas that will lead to economic growth.
He acknowledged that the action of the association affects the economy directly in maritime business, adding that their input is in the interest of the economy either positively or negatively.
He said the council will try its best to improve on the relationship to move the industry forward.
The Shippers’ Council boss told the association that, “we can assure you that we will do everything possible not to disappoint, but at the same time, let me say that the business is like a family business where everybody knows one another”.
He assured that the Council will add more values in the activities of Inland Container Depot (ICD) and the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders in Nigeria (CRFFN) and other maritime institutions, but called for discipline among stakeholders.
He also urged the President of the association to educate his members to ensure that they are more disciplined in their affairs.
Earlier in his remark, President of Maritime Trader Association, Mr Roy Phillipson acknowledged that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has been supportive in the area of resolving some of the problems that affect the maritime industry stakeholders.
He also noted that the Council has not erred in the quest to solve problems of the association. According to him, the NSC has supported the association in the gridlock in goods clearance from the port.
The President of the association also reiterated the need for a commercial regulator in port business. ‘’There is an urgent need for a commercial regulator which I believe that the Nigeria Shippers Council is discharging now and in terms of the challenges we have with the shipping companies and the terminal operators have been addressed by the Nigeria Shippers Council and if not for their intervention, price of the commodities would have gone higher than what we expect in the country’’, he added.
He said that overtime the council has been able to reduce the greed of the terminal operators, adding that the performance made the association to show appreciation by the visit.
According to him, the Council has been doing what has kept them in business therefore they will continue to partner with them.
‘’If not for the intervention of the Nigeria Shippers Council, the charges by the terminal operators could have been much higher than it is today and that would not be of best interest of the economy’’, he noted.
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