Blue Economy
NSC BOSS WARNS SHIPPING FIRMS, FREIGHT FORWARDERS: RETURN TO THE TABLE OR FACE FEDERAL ESCALATION
NSC BOSS WARNS SHIPPING FIRMS, FREIGHT FORWARDERS: RETURN TO THE TABLE OR FACE FEDERAL ESCALATION
By Okeoghene Onoriobe | Waterways News Correspondent, Lagos
The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has issued a firm warning to foreign shipping companies and clearing agents locked in a bitter standoff over recently approved port tariff increases — resolve your differences or face intervention at the highest levels of government.
Dr. Pius Akutah, Executive Secretary of the NSC, delivered the stark message while speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the Council’s management retreat in Abeokuta, making clear that the regulator will not stand idle as the dispute threatens to destabilise operations at Nigeria’s seaports.
Akutah revealed that the Council had twice declined requests from shipping companies to raise charges before approving the current tariff hike — a decision he said was driven not by profit motives, but by the need to address mounting operational costs facing maritime operators.
“I think that they need to work together more harmoniously to resolve these issues. We, as a regulator have given the approval. It is left for the shipping companies and the freight forwarders to come to a harmonious stand where they can implement this,” Akutah said.
The NSC boss, however, stressed that any resolution must involve genuine compromise from both sides, cautioning that a deadlock serves no one.
“There must be a reason for people to move and shift ground. It should be a give-and-take relationship. Whenever there is a standstill and nobody is moving, then there is a problem,” he warned.
Akutah disclosed that the Council had already attempted to broker peace between the warring parties, but the dispute had dragged on — prompting the renewed public call for both sides to get back to the negotiating table.
“Recently, we tried to see how we can wade into this to see how they can resolve this, but this has kept going on. We are calling on both sides to go back to the table and see how they can resolve this issue and move on,” he said.
With patience wearing thin, Akutah put both camps on notice that federal involvement was now on the cards if the impasse continues.
“We cannot sit and watch this without taking steps. It will get to a point where we can escalate this to the level of the minister, if they fail to resolve it,” he stated.
The NSC chief rounded off with a broader warning to all maritime stakeholders, cautioning that the sustainability of Nigeria’s entire shipping sector depends on a spirit of cooperation.
“If they say there won’t be any hike in charges and at the end of the day the cost of operation has hindered them from carrying out their functions, then we will not have a maritime sector,” he said.