Executive Secretary/CEO, Nigerian Shippers Council, Hon. Emmanuel Jime.

The Nigerian Shippers Council, the Economic Regulator of the nation’s seaports recently host the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners NARTO and Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria MWUN to a meeting at its Apapa headquarters, where it was resolved that stakeholders must synergise with the Port Standing Task Team PSTT. This is with a view to removing all impediments to free flow of traffic on all port access roads.

Coordinator General of the PSTT, Mr. Moses Fadipe, while speaking during the meeting, said there was need for the team to collaborate with relevant transport and port industry stakeholders, especially the NARTO and the maritime workers union as part of efforts to free all port corridors of impediments to free flow of traffic.

He noted that the illegalities on the port corridors were being tackled as a lot of state and non-state actors are currently being profiled in order to stop them, disclosing that some persons pose as NARTO workers to extort money from transport operators on the port access roads.

The Executive Secretary of NARTO, Mr. Ogbogo Aloga in his response, warned that anyone collecting money on the port corridors is involved in an illegal act and must be punished. He appealed to the PSTT to help address the illegalities, which include mounting of illegal roadblocks to extort transport owners along Mile 2- Tin Can Island Port and Liverpool Road axis of the port corridors.

Meanwhile, President of the NARTO, Yusuf Lawal, also while speaking at the meeting, said there was need for collaboration amongst all agencies working at the ports. He further stated that the transport sub sector of the maritime industry is currently going through a tough time.

Also, speaking at the meeting the President-General of Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria MWUN, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, expressed the readiness of the union to support the team to ensure successful curbing of illegalities at the ports.