NARTO Boss, Inuwa Slams NPA, Shippers Council Over Port Failure

LAGOS OCTOBER 19TH (NEWSRANGERS)-The Vice-Chairman, Dry Cargo Unit of Nigeria Association Of Road Transport Owner (NARTO) Lagos State branch, Alhaji A. Abdullahi Mohammed Inuwa has accused both
the Nigeria Ports Authority ( NPA) and Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC) for contributing their own quota to the current failure in ports.
Inuwa who revealed that the shipping companies and terminal operators have no regard for the law of the federal government of Nigeria indicted the two Agencies for lacking political will and power to control shipping companies and terminal operators to provide holding bay for receiving empty containers despite sanction and series of directives given by the government.
Inuwa who made the statement in a chat with NEWSRANGERS also said
that four Shipping companies such as Maerskline, Cosco and two others were sanctioned by government yet they still refuse to put holding bay in place after the review of the initial ten days suspension.
“It was agreed after several stakeholders meetings that only shipping companies is mandated to bring empty containers from the holding bay into the ports as against cargo owners and agents who are presently returning empty containers directly to the ports. They must be made to act in accordance with the law. The issue of empty containers should be taken with great concern.
“Meanwhile, the government is still tolerating them and without withdrawing their licenses.
The review of 10 days suspension by NPA has not yielded fruitful result as shipping companies are still proving stubborn and sounded as if they are above the law,” he stated.
He commended Sifax Shipping Company and Grimaldy Shipping Company for making good effort in providing holding bays for the trucks.