By Joy Mmereole Okoli
Stakeholders in the maritime industry have made different suggestions and pronounced varied initiatives on moving the maritime industry forward.
Speaking at a one day talk shop held at the maritime press centre Apapa, Lagos, stakeholders and port investors have urged the federal government to expedite action on the port access road to ease business and also to think towards providing other means of transportation.
This is because shipping being the soul of economy in the country, federal government should work towards developing other means of transportation such as waterways and railways to ease transportation.
Speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Barr. Hassan Bello, said there is still hope for easy cargo clearance at the Port. “We just need to get our logistics right”, he said.
Bello revealed that NSC is presently working with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), towards exposing the bad eggs that delay ships that come to port with means of extortion.
The Chairman of the occasion, a former DG of the Nigerian Maritime Authority (NMA), Mr Patrick Egesi, voiced out about the way the Lagos access roads has depreciated.
In his words “federal Government must plan the roads, rails and waterways for efficient logistics in the country. Without infrastructure, freight forwarding will suffer. As we all know that freight forwarding is the heart of shipping” he said.
