- Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Akutah Pius Ukeyima (right), Terminal Manager, APM Terminals, Steen Knudsen, and NSC Director of Consumer Affairs, Cajetan Agu, sharing thought on issues during the Shippers Council’s working tour of the terminal at Apapa…Wednesday
By Anthony Nwachukwu
Impressed with their huge investments on terminal equipment and the conducive work environment, the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Akutah Pius Ukeyima, has commended the concessionaires and called for collaboration to achieve port efficiency.
Akutah, accompanied by some NSC heads of departments, including the Director of Consumer Affairs, Mr. Cajetan Agu, visited the ENL Consortium Limited and afterwards toured the vast APM Terminals’ facilities, including the control rooms and quay side, in his ongoing assessment tour of the terminals.
At APM Terminals, the Government Relations Manager, Kayode Daniel, led the team through the company’s operations, detailing its sustained deployment and upgrade of terminal and cargo handling equipment since the concession in 2006 and its commissioning in 2008.
Also, the Terminal Manager, Steen Knudsen, told the team that the operator has equally invested hugely in human and capital resources development.
Speaking on the visit, Akutah, who noted that huge investment has already been made, said it provided him “insight into what needs there are and what we need to do to foster collaboration between the government side and the private sector to provide that needed atmosphere for business to thrive.”
He commended the APM Terminals as “very neat, the work environment is very neat, and the people are working in a very healthy environment,” while describing their terminal equipment as “a huge investment.”
“What remains is how we can move that forward to achieve our mandate in the sector. As a regulator, it is our duty to bring up policies that will regulate their activities and ensure that we achieve what we are looking for.
“What they have done in terms of deployment of technology is quite promising, and I believe that on our part, by the time we also deploy technology, it will be easy for us to achieve the port conducive system that we are looking to.”
Meanwhile, he said it is time for action, with the president “looking at the sector as one of the major sectors that will drive the economic policies going forward. So, we cannot sit down in the comfort of our offices and dole out regulations or policies without engaging the people who are operators in the field.”
In that regards, he disclosed that the minister, who had earlier met with the stakeholders, “has engaged consultants to build a policy for the marine and blue economy, and that is ongoing.
“The policy is targeting all that has been the challenges, and then the solutions to those challenges. There is going to be a holistic approach to the challenges stagnating the sector.”
Earlier at ENL, the Executive Vice Chairman, Princess Vicky Haastrup, who is also the Chairman of Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), urged the Federal Government to support the concessionaires by providing a level playfield for business to thrive.
She insisted that the maritime industry has the potentials to surpass revenue generation from the oil and gas industry.
