Shippers Council Board Calls for Speedy Clearance of Power Project Cargoes At Ports

—as Governing Board Tours Shipping Firms, Terminals

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Chairman of the Governing Board of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Dr. Ibrahim Shehu Shema, has called on port and terminal operators, shipping companies, and contractors to give priority attention to the clearance and delivery of cargoes related to power projects, saying the federal government considers the expansion and stabilisation of electricity supply a matter of national urgency.

Shema, a former Governor of Katsina State, made the call on Thursday during a working tour of CMA CGM Nigeria and APM Terminals (APMT) Apapa in Lagos. He described the visit as a deliberate assignment to strengthen the working relationship between shippers, shipping companies, and terminal operators.

“Anything that pertains to power projects is important to this country. Any time such cargoes come, give us speedy attention because it is in the heart of the federal government. It is very important for all stakeholders to understand this, because the government is seriously interested in the expansion and stabilisation of power supply in Nigeria,” he said.
Coming on the heels of standoffs between shipping companies and freight forwarders on the proposed increment in charges, Shema urged caution in the handling of tariff-related matters, stressing the importance of constructive dialogue between all parties.

“I want to advise us to be cautious in approaching the issue of tariffs. It is important we make use of constructive engagement, it works for both sides. The Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration is interested in this sector and that is why he created the Marine and Blue Economy ministry to expand the economy,” he said.

Speaking with journalists at the end of the tour, Shema said the visit was aimed at assessing the state of shipping operations and identifying challenges that government could help address.

“We came to Lagos as a necessary and deliberate assignment to ensure that the working relationship between shippers, shipping companies, and terminal operators goes on smoothly. We discussed issues pertaining to tariff adjustments and how that can work in the best interest of the shipper and in the best interest of the partners and parties involved,” he said.

He noted that Nigeria’s maritime sector holds enormous potential, not just for the country but for the wider West African sub-region and the continent at large, and called for deliberate policy action to harness it.

On dredging, he said extensive discussions had been held with the organisations visited, stressing that deeper waterways would allow larger vessels to bring in bigger volumes of cargo, thereby expanding trade and boosting government revenue.

Shema also expressed satisfaction with the level of investment commitment shown by operators, noting that foreign investors are willing to deepen their involvement in the sector.

“There is no question about the fact that foreign investors are interested to invest even more in this sector. We are quite happy to hear from most of them that there is investment ready and waiting to be carried out with the policy adjustment that can support such investment,” he said.

The Executive Secretary of the NSC, Dr Pius Akutah, who accompanied the board on the tour, said the visit was part of ongoing efforts to monitor compliance and drive modernisation across the sector.

“The marine and blue economy has come to stay. We are monitoring the various entities operating within the sector to see their performance and to see how to enhance this performance. Many of them are already adhering to our dictates on modernisation of their facilities, innovations, and adaptation of technology in the use of their daily work,” he said.

Akutah expressed optimism about the growth trajectory of the sector, pointing to a significant rise in export volumes recorded across the terminals visited.

“You heard that the export cargo is doing good. It is going up by at least 30% already. So we are very hopeful that in a few years to come, we will have balanced our receipts of payment in terms of trade,” he said.

He added that Nigeria appeared to be transitioning from being predominantly an import-dependent economy, with commodities and petroleum products now driving export growth.

“Today it is quite encouraging that we have a lot of exports going. Although it is majorly commodities, talking about raw materials, but we are hopeful that Dangote Refinery has started exporting petroleum products,” he said.

Akutah also expressed confidence that the manufacturing sector would soon join the export drive, particularly under the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement.

“We are hoping that very soon we will start exporting our manufactured goods to the rest of Africa, especially under the AfCFTA, where the whole of Africa is trading under one platform. We believe that all of this will happen in a short while. But first of all, the modernisation of these facilities is quite important,” he said.

On the NSC’s engagement with CMA CGM, Akutah noted the shipping line’s progressive stance, commending it for abolishing container deposit funds.

“CMA is the only one that has done away with container deposit funds, even long before we found a solution. For us, we have started e-registration of service users so that we can follow up on everyone at any time,” he said.

At APMT Apapa, Akutah called on the terminal to expand its investments and diversify into transport and hinterland activities. “I have been here many times, and each time I see new things, it shows you are taking a lead. The government is looking forward to creating job opportunities and the Minister is looking forward to more investments. We have issues with connectivity and we are looking for other areas of investments in connectivity and multimodal infrastructure,” he said.

He also reminded APMT of an earlier investment pledge. “You promised to invest more money, about $300 million, at the launching of your offices in Onne. I hope those monies have come. We want you to bring in more investments. You can diversify as well into transport and hinterland activities,” he said.

APMT Terminal Managing Director, Kamal Alhraishat, responded that the terminal has a $600 million upgrade proposal currently before the federal government, adding that the terminal is committed to long-term operations in Nigeria.

Reacting to the $600 million investment proposal, the Shippers Council boss said “You hear that they have already put a proposal of over $600 million to be invested in the sector. This is very encouraging. As much as Mr. President and his team are going around the world looking for investors and looking for foreign direct investment coming to the economy, we are glad that companies operating already in Nigeria are also bringing in more capital to reinvest. So it is heartwarming really. It is a great day and a great time for Nigeria.”