Absence Of Regulation Stifling Maritime Sector- Shippers Council
The Nigerian Shippers Council has warned that absence of a regulatory agency as envisaged in the national Transportation Commission bill passed by the National Assembly could stifle the maritime sector.
In addition to the Port and Harbor Bill which is yet to see the light of day, “regulation has remained cumbersome and policy enhancement elusive and resistance to regulations common among operators,” Mr. Hassan Bello, Executive Secretary of the NSC said in Lagos.
Mr Bello further said that the federal government’s desire of bringing sanity to shipping services characterized by high and indiscriminate increase in cargo terminal charges by private terminal operators as well as poor service delivery will not be realized in the absence of a strong regulatory agency.
“Litigation has been rife in the sector with it attendant private monopoly instead of public monopoly that will encourage competition in the sector,” he said.
According to him the passages of those bills will among other things enhance policy formulation geared towards the development of the sector.
Bello, who was giving the stewardship of the organization in the outgoing year, regretted that 12 years after port reform, the Transport Commission and the Port and Harbor bills remained unavailable.
Noting that the situation had continued to affect the regulation of the shipping sector, Bello stated that although his council has developed standard operation procedure for port users to reduce delays in cargo handling processes in order to reduce cost, it is unable to activate the strategy as the National Transportation Commission Bill which would have given legal teeth has not been signed into law.
The bill which had been passed by the National Assembly suffered a setback recently as the president declined his assent to it.
He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to reconsider his decision to decline assent to the National Transportation Commission Bill.
The National Transportation Commission bill, which was meant to streamline regulations in the transport industry, especially in the maritime sector, was promoted by the shipper’s council.