The executive secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Barrister Hassan Bello, has told critics of the newly introduced registration policy of no going back, saying there were enormous benefits inherent for stakeholders.
Speaking to newsmen on the sideline of the conferment of fellowship of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) by the national president of the institute, Ibrahim Jibrin, in Lagos, Bello said those who were kicking against the policy were only being ignorant of the benefit the registration seeks to achieve.
He explained that the registration fee is an administrative cost, which many stakeholders were already keying into. Bello described as false, the report that importers had threatened to abandon Nigerian ports for neighbouring ports and that the registration fee would add to cost of doing business at the port.
“All this is nothing but lies, we just said people should register so that we know them and add value to what they are doing. Has that become something of controversy?
“The law says register, the fees is not our concern but we want to know where you are, if clearing agents register, we will make sure that there is no unnecessary charges like container deposit because we will guarantee the clearing agents that wherever they are sending the consignment we know the company that are taking it.
“Is it not a benefit to the person who registers and so many other services we are going to render to the people?”
The Shippers’ Council boss also said it had continued to engage stakeholders and had also reviewed downward the registration fee.
“We have embarked on registration of stakeholders within the port as our laws have said. This registration is on knowing your customer basis and because of the benefits, which accrue from registration, we have been engaging with stakeholders,” Bello said.