Exports: Shippers Council wants synchronisation of agencies involved

Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, has called for synchronisation of the functions of all agencies involved in export processes in the country.

Executive Secretary/CEO of NSC, Hassan Bello, who disclosed this while speaking with Vanguard Maritime Report in Lagos, said for effective coordination of activities of all agencies involved in the export processes, there was a need to establish a Central Command.

Bello noted that agencies like the NSC, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Nigerian Export Process Council, NEPC, NEXIM Bank and others should be members of the command that should be meeting once every two months.

According to him, “What we need now is a central command for export; all the central command is going to do is export with the available statistics. I think we need to galvanise and make these things work. We need the makeover of our infrastructure, we need re-orientation, we need the simplification of the export processes; an electronic way of doing it.

“We need to encourage the NEPC, NCS to come in sync with the NPA and NSC which are already in sync. NPA has already said priority should be given to export cargoes at the terminals. I think there should be, maybe a high command for export, with all the relevant agencies; NSC, NPA, NEPC, NCS, NEXIM Bank, and some others so that every two months there will be a meeting to appraise export. We need to keep our eyes on this ball.”

He also stressed the need for the provision of the needed road and rail infrastructure to ensure easy movement of cargoes from their base to the port for onward export.

“We also need the infrastructure; the road, the rail to be efficient so that in no time goods for export from Kaduna dry port could be moved to Lagos easily; the ships are waiting and are loaded and off they go without any waste of time. The Nigerian Customs have been praised by exporters and I have mingled with exporters. When it comes to export, Nigeria Customs has helped premium exports, the exporters told me this,” he noted.