… As Shippers’ council boss says Media Support crucial to Success of Maritime Industry***
The dry ports would soon be completed and put to use as the government intensifies efforts to broaden and diversify Nigeria’s economy, Emmanuel Jime, Executive Secretary, Nigerian’ Shippers’ Council (NSC), has assured.
Jime gave this assurance in Lagos stressing that operations had begun in the Kaduna dry port while others had attained more than 80 per cent completion.
Some of the inland ports are located in Ibadan (with 50,000 Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), Isiala Ngwa in Abia, 50,000 TEUs, Jos, 20,000 TEUs and Dala in Kano, with 20,000 TEUs.
Others are located in Funtua, Katsina State with 10,000 TEUs, and Maiduguri with 10,000 TEUs.
The dry ports are expected to serve as a catalyst for trade stimulation and economic development by bringing shipping services to the doorstep of shippers across the nation.
They are also expected to assist in decongesting the seaports and make them more user-friendly.
Jime, while referring to the dry ports as “very crucial to Nigeria’s economic success”, expressed satisfaction with the Public-Private-Partnership arrangements towards their completion and effective take-off.
He commended the efforts of the host state governments and concessionaires towards the speedy completion of the projects, urging all stakeholders to sustain the tempo.
Jime particularly commended the Plateau government for injecting funds into the Heipang dry port and expressed confidence that it would soon come to life.
“The state government’s effort in mitigating the funding gap.
This is encouraging and commendable,” he said.
On the Ibadan dry port, Jime said that issues around the contract agreements, especially the payment of compensation, were being resolved to make way for its speedy completion.
He regretted, however, that most investors prefer areas with short-term turnaround in profit-making, saying that the situation had consistently created some funding challenges for the dry ports.
Jime said that the dry ports remain the remedy for the congestion in the seaports usually caused by challenges of infrastructure, articulated vehicles and persistent gridlock.
He expressed happiness with the “very dramatic progress” in the Dala dry port in Kano that is 80 per cent ready, while the Abuja dry port had also recorded appreciable progress.
He also thanked the Abia government for waking up to the need to play its crucial role in the development of the dry port at Isiala Ngwa, urging it to sustain that tempo.
Jime said that the NSC would continue to encourage the partnership with the states toward completing the dry ports in view of their relevance to the nation’s economic growth.
He also spoke on the need for an effective and efficient railway as a primary mode for long-distance haulage.
“A functional railway will assist in the overall costs of cargo to hinterland locations and transit cargoes to landlocked countries,” he pointed out.
He said that NSC was working toward building a robust partnership with the nation’s railway authorities so that all the dry ports would attain their potential when they come on stream.
The NSC boss said that the Council had been able to resolve lots of disputes among shippers, and attributed the feat to “our robust complaints unit”.
He said that most of the disputes bordered on financial issues like demurrage, port charges and other basic disagreements.
Jime also spoke on the Lekki Deep Seaport in Lagos.
“The Lekki Deep Seaport is designed to be the first Deep Seaport in the nation’s maritime industry.
It is a game-changer.
“We have always lost a lot of maritime clients to other countries.
The Lekki Deep Seaport will change that.
It will make Nigeria truly the hub of maritime activities.”
He called for more attention to the provision of traffic infrastructure in and around Lekki Deep Seaport to “avoid another Apapa there”.
Jime observed that there were many huge establishments, including refineries, around the area and expressed concern that the Apapa scenario could be replicated there if effective transport infrastructure was not put in place.
He suggested a quick construction of a rail linkage to ward off possible congestion when activities begin at the Lekki Deep Seaport.
In the same vein, Mr Emmanuel Jime, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), has emphasised the need for the support of the media in the efforts to reposition the maritime industry to meet set targets.
“We must build a robust partnership with the media.
It is very crucial to our success in the maritime industry as the government looks more toward diversifying and broadening Nigeria’s economic horizon,” Jime said.
He spoke at the weekend when he received a delegation of the newsmen, who paid him a courtesy call.
Jime said that the maritime industry was going through various reforms and implementing new strategies toward easing the time, cost and environment of doing business.
L-R: Mr Ephraims Sheyin, Head of Lagos Operations, newsmen, and Mr Emmanuel Jime, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council during a courtesy visit in Lagos on Friday.
“Such efforts require the buy-in of all stakeholders and the general public.
“People living in the areas where the activities are undertaken also need to be carried along.
We cannot do this without working with the media,” he said.
Jime particularly lauded the shippers’ council’s partnership with newsmen over the years, saying that the maritime outfit had benefitted immensely from that partnership.
“We shall continue to build on that rewarding relationship with newsmen.
“Aside from covering our activities effectively, newsmen remains the most credible source of news in the country and even the whole world.
“Anything I read from newsmen, I just believe it is the gospel truth.
Newsmen cannot lie.
Their editors are always meticulous and strive to balance every piece of information before publishing it.
“In an era where fake news is common, newsmen has kept its head high and distinguished itself as freshly different. We shall continue to identify and work with newsmen to propagate our activities,” he said.
Jime said that the NSC shall continue to crave newsmen’s friendship as it curries support of all concerned toward achieving its mandate of protecting players and regulating activities of the maritime industry.
“We try to regulate the cost of doing business.
We also try to regulate local shipping charges and also ensure quality service delivery.
“We have worked out the port process manual and will strive to ensure that the ports sector is working as required. We shall need the media to play its role so that, together, we can shore up economic growth.”
Jime also spoke on the status of the many dry ports across the country and expressed the hope that they would soon be completed and put to use.
“Our goal is to make Nigeria the maritime hub of Africa.
To do that, our seaports must be in good shape.
Lekki Deep Seaport will soon come on stream and give us a massive boost.
“All of these efforts must be supported by everyone and the media’s role can never be over-emphasised,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Ephraims Sheyin, Head of Lagos Operations and leader of the newsmen delegation, had called for a closer working relationship with the NSC toward broadening Nigeria’s economic horizon.
He said that the NSC was very crucial to the nation’s quest to diversify its economy, noting that an efficient maritime industry would shore up economic growth and reduce dependence on oil revenues.
Sheyin noted that the Federal Government had continued to invest heavily in the maritime industry, hence the need to keep Nigerians abreast of developments in that critical sector.
“As elections draw nearer, Nigerians will be anxious to hear what government has achieved in all sectors. One sector many are concerned about is the maritime industry.
“Newsmen is prepared to publicise the achievements and challenges of the sector so as to answer those questions and assure Nigerians that government is working.
“As a federal government agency, we need to highlight government’s efforts.
The ultimate goal is to form a partnership that will benefit Nigeria and Nigerians.
“In newsmen, we believe that such synergy is necessary to promote the quest to develop alternative revenue sources, create jobs and widen our economic frontiers,” he said.
