The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) on Thursday disclosed that the council’s activities were not limited to the seaport, but interested on cargo and protection of shippers even at airports.
Mr Emmanuel Jime, Executive Secretary, NSC made this known when the President Airfreight Stakeholders’ Forum, Mr Toyin Onifade led his members on a courtesy visit to the NSC’s Headquarters in Lagos
Jime also sought for synergy to achieve the common goal of promoting seamless trade and creating enabling environment for businesses to strife.
“I want to disabuse people’s thinking that our activities is limited to the seaport, this is not so, our interest is the cargo and the protection of interest of shippers.
“By shippers, this means people that work for export and import and of course using all modes of transportation, weather land, sea or air,” he said.
Jime noted that as ports economic regulator, NSC want businesses to be done seamlessly in both the seaports and airports in the country.
He pledged that the council would continuously support and nurture activities of the forum as the forum plays very important role on issues bordering on freight and cargo at the airports.
The NSC boss stressed on the need to ensure proper packaging of exports for various international markets.
Earlier, Onifade said that the maritime industry when harnessed was capable of generating 500,000 additional labours for the country.
According to him, this is talking about those from the farm, receiving from the farmers, transporters, shipping it out and even packaging which are the issues international markets were complaining about.
“We need to work together, diversify and ensure that the country moved our exports away from oil to face others sectors.
“We also understand that there are standard conditions for which goods must be produced, packaged before it gets to the final destination.
“We are working earnestly to meet those minimum standards to ensure that Nigeria can be rated high. We cannot do it alone and so seek the support of the council,” he said.
Onifade promised to work together to ensure that they followed the ideals of government in promoting and diversifying the country’s export trade.
He added that presently things had eased at the airport, as the various police formations had been removed and goods now move out of the airport in safe time.
Recall that the shippers council and Airfreight Stakeholders’ Forum had jointly organised series of workshops and interactions for stakeholders on topical issues on exports and airfreight business in the country.
