The Nigerian Shippers’ Council says it is collaborating with the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ensure adequate safety of port users nationwide in furtherance of its support for the COVID-19 pandemic fight.
The Council’s Head of Public Relations, Rakiya Zubairu, stated that hundreds of face masks and hand sanitizers would be handed over to the leaders of seven trucking associations.
She explained: “This is particularly significant because truckers, being essential workers, are some of the few people who are allowed to move across state lines as they deliver essential cargoes all around the country.
“It may be recalled that NSC, through the Federal Ministry of Transportation, had made an intervention for this category of persons to be allowed free movement as they convey goods from the ports to the lengths and breaths of Nigeria and indeed beyond the borders of the country”, she added
According to her, the Council on Tuesday commenced a COVID-19 sensitization campaign for terminals and shipping companies stakeholders to ensure that people are keeping to the rules of engagement to save lives.
Zubairu disclosed that already NCDC had assigned one of its doctors to deliver a talk on COVID-19 at the various locations where freight forwarders and staff of these organisations will be present as the sensitisation ‘train’ moves on.
She also confirmed that workers of the Port Health Services department of the Federal Ministry of Health will also be present at these sensitization events, adding that during the campaign, the Council will give out face masks and sanitizers to all present at all the terminals and shipping companies
