Shippers’ Council donates Toyota Hilux van to Marine Police Command    

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has donated a Toyota Hilux patrol van to the Marine Police Command to aid their operations at the ports.
The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Mr Hassan Bello, handed over the key of the vehicle to AIG Kola Sodipo of Marine Police Command at the NSC’s Head office in Lagos on Friday.
Bello said that the vehicle was donated to the Police as part of the Council’s Corporate Social Responsibility.
He said the donation was also made based on the resolve of the NSC to maintain maximum security in the port community.
Bello said the Council as the port economic regulator, had resolved to transform the Nigerian ports to make them attractive and efficient.
He urged the Nigeria Police to be a dependable partner with the Council in order to achieve this target.
The Executive Secretary said the Council’s collaboration with the Marine Police Command would help to address many security challenges in Nigerian ports.
He noted that the marine police was strategic in ports operations in the area of security, stressing that the gesture was to enable the Police to carry out their duties
“What we do is to make sure that all the parties come together and see how we can do that and the police are one of the most important of these institutions. We want the police to be part of the Council’s shipping industry stakeholders that will be meeting from time to time to address the challenges of the port sector,” he said.
Bello also solicited the support of the police to partner the council in enforcing compliance and to strengthen security at the seaports.
“We want police to partner with us to enforce compliance at the port and we require your assistance to strengthen port security. We also need exchange of information between both agencies and address complaints of stakeholders.
“Here is a centre of complaints. We receive all sorts of complaints from stakeholders especially now that we have gone electronic. We have complaints against SON, Customs and even the police. So if we come together, just like we did with customs, we will be able to address these problems,” he said.

He commended the Nigeria Police Marine Command for the role the command had played in maintaining security in the port community.
Responding,  the  AIG, Marine Police Command expressed appreciation to the management and staff of the Council for the vehicle donated and assured that the vehicle would be put into maximum use for the security patrol in the port environment.
He assured that the police will give necessary support to the Council to achieve its mandate. He also called on other agencies to emulate the Council’s gesture in this regard by assisting the Police.