Finance, major challenge of NIS - President.

Inadequate finance has been identified as the major challenge of the Nigeria Institute of Shipping (NIS).

The National President of NIS Capt. Anthony Onoharigho made the declaration at the Institute’s 9th Annual General Meeting and Awards held on Friday night in Lagos.
He said that NIS was determined to have a shipping house and be chartered.

According to him, NIS has been advocating that the cabotage funds be used to buy a ship for the country’s shipping line to run.

“If we can get one ship to be running in the industry, people would get jobs; you know 90 per cent of our crude oil is being lifted by foreign vessels.

“This emanated from foreign companies, by portfolio brokers who just collect 10 per cent and run the vessel on Free On Board, but now we want to run the vessel on Cost, Insurance and Freight,” he said.

As regards the institute’s Charter Bill, he said it had gone up to the second reading before legislative issues came up and stopped it.
“But now it will be back on line again,” he said.

On traffic congestion on roads leading to the ports, the NIS president said that there was the need to properly plan movement of articulated vehicles on the roads.

“Government should develop other ports; if cargoes are segregated, those going to Port Harcourt will go there; Lagos, Warri and Calabar will do same.

“We should not drop all cargoes in Lagos as this is part of what is causing the congestion.

“There is the need to make all ports that are not functioning to function again as the concentration of cargoes in Lagos is the major cause of the congestions,” he said.

The NIS is a professional body incorporated in 1993 with the objectives of facilitating international business cooperation at all levels and all aspect of maritime industry.

At the induction of about 50 people as members and fellows of the institute, Onoharigho emerged the NIS President for another 2-year term.