The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo has charged the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to ensure the establishment of a Port Community System.
Speaking during his recent visit to the NSC headquarters in Lagos, Sambo urged the council to ensure that the Port Community System become operational before the end of the President, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
According to him, Nigeria needs a Port Community System that can compete favourably with its counterpart elsewhere.
“The responsibility is on you to ensure we have a Port Community System. I think it is because we have not placed the responsibility on somebody which is why we have not been able to achieve the PCS.
“Next week, I will call you and other agencies and roll out the issue. We must have a PCS working for us in Nigeria before the administration comes to a close,” he stated.
In a statement on Monday by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Ministry of Transportation, Henshaw Ogubike, stated that the minister urged the NSC to study the Port Community System in other countries and replicate same in Nigeria.
Speaking earlier, the Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Emmanuel Jime, commended the minister for obtaining approval for the council to implement the Cargo Tracking Note and the observable success of the inland dry port projects being championed by the NSC.
I told you that we needed to complete the process of the development of the inland dry port infrastructure put in place, as well as an update on other key transport infrastructure being promoted by the NSC.
“We accompanied you this month together with the President to deliver on your first low-hanging fruit in the industry, the Dala dry port and also the Funtua as the port of origin and destination.
“These are key transport infrastructures that will aid the policy of the Federal Government as regards exportation,” he said.
He further stressed the need to strengthen the legal framework of the NSC to enable it to perform its functions and bring about efficiency at the port.