Stakeholders want govt to transform NSC into transport commission

Worried by the delay in passing into law, the National Transport Commission (NTC) bill that will enthrone an economic regulator for the transport sector, industry stakeholders have advised the Federal Government and the National Assembly to transform the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to the Commission.

According to them, changing NSC into the NTC would save the Government the huge cost involved in establishing a new agency at this time of economic recession. The Council, they say, which is currently the interim regulator for the port, has an existing structure and expertises needed for a new NTC.

They pointed that the NTC Bill, which is currently before the National Assembly, would eventually establish transport commission to regulate the rail, road and maritime sub-sectors.

Denis Okonkwo, a freight forwarder, who said that the NSC as the port economic regulator bears similar responsibilities with the proposed commission, also stated that transforming into NTC would save cost for government instead of having new NTC. He also lauded the Council on it contributions as the ports economic regulator, which he says has saved cost for shippers.

Tony Nwabunike, former chairman of Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), who called on the Senate to speed up the passage of the NTC Bill and provide for the transformation of the Council as the regulatory agency, affirmed the Council will deliver if the law allows it become NTC.

Shippers Council, he observed, has acted as a mediator between shippers (importers and exporters) and service providers at the ports, thereby ensuring that service providers deliver efficient services at the ports by providing needed cargo handling equipment.

“There has been an improvement in the dwell time of cargo at the ports and the turnaround time of ships calling at the ports as a result of the efforts of the Council,” he said.

Ayo Ogunlana, a Customs agent, who stated that it would be waste of resources for the Federal Government to set up a new NTC instead of allowing the NSC to transform into that status and regulate the entire transport industry.

Noting that the bulk of activities in the entire transport industry were more in the maritime sector, Ogunlana said that the knowledge of port regulator would help the Council to succeed, if it steps into the bigger shoe of regulating the entire transport sector.

Recall that Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transport had in December 2016, during a public hearing made a case for the Senate to empower the NSC with the statutory responsibilities of the NTC.

The minister said that allowing NSC to take up the duties of the NTC will address the issue of duplication of functions and save the Federal Government the resources that would be needed for such exercise. “The proposed NTC Bill has similar functions to those being performed by Shippers’ Council as port regulator.”

Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie