Shippers’ Association elects new excos; promise synergy with stakeholders 

The group added that the synergy is necessary for effective and timely delivery of cargoes in the port.

Dr. Innocent Akuvue stated this in his acceptance speech shortly after emerging as the President -General of the association in Lagos on Tuesday.

Dr  Akuvue, was immediate past President of Rivers/ Bayelsa Shippers Association (RIBASA).

Others who emerged unopposed in the election include; Muhammed Jamilu Umar as Vice President, while Ijeoma Ezeosor is the Secretary General.

Barr Ibrahim Mustapha is the Assistant Secretary, Ayo Odekunle, Treasurer, Otaka Kalu Uche as Financial Secretary and Muazu Yakubu as the National Welfare Officer.

“This is an association that we created to carter for shippers, and they are importers, exporters.

“Our role is to create enough awareness for shippers to know what their likes are, for them to know how to process imports and exports documentations.

“There are a lot is issues, like port congestion, this is because people have imported things that they are not meant to import, also because they did not follow the processes right.

“My work with my team is to create enough sensitisation and awareness on how people need to do business and to do it right. So going forward, we are going to see a total new organisation, a set of shippers within a short time,” he said.

When asked how he intend to change some of the policies affecting the members of the group, he pleaded for time to study the situation before making moves.

He said that on the issue of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s increase in exchange rate for Customs Duty, he posited that there was a need to understand the reason for the increase, saying it was not right to criticise policies without due diligence.

“I am an importer, so I know the change that are sacred but now that I am going to speak for an organisation, we need to understand why certain positions are taken before we make our own case,” he said.

Speaking during the inauguration, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Barr Hassan Bello called on the newly elected officials to engage the government on policies that would improve the business of import and export.

The Shippers Council boss said it was the duty of the newly inaugurated NASAN to engage the government and ensure reduction in dwell time of cargo.

According to him, :“You should also ask for the simplification of processes and procedures, we should ask for digitalisation of our ports.

“I am happy to inform you that digitalisation of our ports has gotten to a very critical stage where most of our terminals have really grown up, we are insisting that they must have 90 percent compliance, the banks must come in, so that you can transact even without coming to Lagos, the freight forwarders, truckers and shipping lines must be online, this would stop the corruption going on at the port”