The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has disclosed that it has saved the nation’s economy from recording huge losses in excess of N6billion via alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms of its Complaints Unit.
NSC Executive Secretary, Barr. Pius Akutah, revealed this while engaging the leadership of Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA) during the group’s courtesy visit to the Council headquarters on Wednesday.
Akutah, however, maintained that the regulatory agency is willing to partner NMLA for capacity building of NSC staff in order to improve the agency’s capacity to deliver better ADR goals for the industry and the nation.
He equally lamented that the NSC currently operates with an obsolete legislation drafted in 1978, stressing the need to update the Council’s legal framework, especially for the new status as port economic regulator.
His words: “Shippers’ Council has a mandate to take care of the interests of shippers over the years, but it is operating under a 1978 law. You will agree with me that by 2024, that law is obsolete and is not going to adequately provide for what the sector stands for at the moment.”
“There is a need for us to look into that law and see what we can do to change the law in order to empower the agency to do what is required of it in this 21st century. Now, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has a bill before the National Assembly seeking to transmute into a regulatory agency by law.”
Noting that the Council’s port economic role is only a presidential directive, Akutah remarked that a legislation is required to clearly highlight the port regulatory duties for effective regulation.
Meanwhile, he maintained that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement provides an opportunity for Nigeria to push towards becoming the logistics hub in the region.
The NSC boss, however, said that the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy would require strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Works for the construction of key transport infrastructure, especially railways and roads.
Earlier, the President of NMLA, Mrs. Funke Agbor (SAN), observed that the Council’s commitment to ensuring fair competition, streamlining port operations and promoting alternative dispute resolution mechanisms has had a transformative impact on the industry.
While positing that the Council’s work aligns closely with the mission of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association, the Learned Silk extended the groups arm of partnership to address key legal and regulatory challenges within the nation’s maritime sector.
“We have collaborated at many levels, and we can see that there are still numerous opportunities to strengthen our collaboration with the Nigerian Shippers’ Council. Together, we can address key legal and regulatory challenges impacting maritime commerce, particularly in the areas of trade facilitation, dispute resolution, port governance and compliance with international conventions.
“Some specific areas which we hope to further continue this collaboration is Alternative Dispute Resolution, ADR. Building on the Council’s progress in ADR, we know that you have this in-house facility,” Funke Agbor said.
