Foreign shipping operator accuses govt. agencies of frustrating ease of doing business at ports

Foreign shipping operator accuses govt. agencies of frustrating ease of doing business at ports

The Managing Director of Grimaldi Shipping Nigeria Limited, Mr Ascanio Russo, has called on the Federal Government to fully implement the directives contained in the recent circular on ease of doing business in the port recently issued by the presidency.

Russo made the call during the working visit of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to the shipping agency in Lagos, Monday.

Russo said despite the federal government’s stance against touting as contained in the circular, many people who have nothing to do in the port area still crowd the port.

Recall, that, a directive was signed by the Vice President and issued in May, 2017 to rid the port of touts and to make transactions in the port seamless.

The Grimaldi boss lamented how Nigerians and government agencies flout the regulations of the federal government.

He however, called on the federal government, to take urgent action to implement the contents of the circular where necessary because it was flagrantly flouted.

“I will like to start from the circular which was issued on 18th of May, 2017 and signed by the Vice President on ease and of doing business

“One of the contents is that there ,should be no touting in any port in Nigeria and concerning that, am sure many people can attest to the number of people that are still crowding the whole port area.

“Unfortunately, I still believe there are many people around the port area and something should be done because there has been no compliance since the directive was issued.

“I also want to stress, that, the directive of the Vice President provided that all agencies existing in the port harness their operation into one single switch domiciled in one location in the port and then implemented by a single task force at all times.

“I like so say we have complied with this within the sixty days it was issued but unfortunately, it is like this unit is also not functioning,” he submitted.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council had asked the Grimaldi MD to state any challenge facing the organization, promising to solve them.

He also used the occasion to call on the organization to invest in the planned modern truck park being spare headed by the Council that will take away all the trucks parked on the roads.