Shippers’ to protest lack of protection for cargo owners

The Shippers Association of Lagos State (SALS) is set to protest what it referred to as lack of protection of cargo owners by the federal government, through the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) regulates port and shipping activities. But SALS believes that cargo owners suffer ill-treatment at the hands of terminal operators.

Towards this end, it said part of the ways to express its dissatisfaction is to vacate its second-floor accommodation at the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) corporate headquarters, Apapa, Lagos State over what the association labeled as ill-treatment and lack of enough protection for cargo owners.

Addressing a media briefing on Tuesday in Lagos, the Spokesman for SALS, Dr Kayode Farinto stated that if shippers in Lagos are no longer housed under the NSC accommodation arrangement, their voices will be heard.

According to Dr Kayode Farinto, “In the NSC Act, the role of a shipper is very clear. A shipper is a person that brings a cargo into a port area for the cargo owner, which is the importer.

“Section 3, sub-section C of the NSC Act under number 13 states that the Nigerian Shippers Council should encourage the formulation of shippers association all over the country. What this means is that it is not only Lagos State that should have a shippers association. Every state of the federation should have a shippers association.

“Although we have a national shippers association that has been formed, they have not been vibrant. Maybe they will be vibrant this year, we just pray so.

“We have looked at the role of the shippers in the nation’s maritime industry and have realised that we have not been carried along by the NSC in their activities.

“You people know that the Shippers Council currently accommodates shippers in Lagos. We were given accommodation on the second floor of the NSC headquarters. You people need to visit that place to see the kind of accommodation that the NSC has given us.

 “Due to this poor arrangement and lack of adequate projection, we have come to a conclusion that for us to be widely heard and listened to, the Shippers Association of Lagos State might move out of the NSC headquarters this year.