Lagos – The National Shippers’ Day celebration and Exhibition will come up in Lagos from Feb. 25 to Feb. 26, the Shippers’ Association Lagos State (SALS) has said.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday in Lagos by the Host of the events and President, of the association, Mr Jonathan Nicol.
The statement said Coscharis Motors, Nigerian Breweries, Dangote Group, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and Flour Mills Nigeria Ltd., would attend the events.
“The celebration is an annual event jointly organised by SALS and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
“Other stakeholders who will be attending the event include: Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI).
The statement said that terminal operators and other maritime stakeholders would also participate in the events.
It said the Minister of Transport, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Malam Habeeb Abdullahi, the Chief Host and the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr Hasan Bello, would be at the events.
Nicol said that the topics of the event are: “Approaching a New Dawn in the Maritime Sector’’ and “The International Cargo Tracking Note”.
“The first time we came out, we introduced a new port order which had been embraced in the sector. Stakeholders are working toward a new system whereby cargo administration will be simplified.
“Now that they are working systematically toward the new port order, we are looking beyond problems now.
“We are looking at progress in the maritime sector and everybody should begin to look at how prosperity will come to the maritime sector and how we can provide wealth to our people,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes Nicol as saying.
He said that the event which would also draw other Shippers’ Associations from other states, and usher in a new approach to doing business.
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Nicol said that the event would also herald new techniques of doing business and people would begin to adopt a new culture and mindset.
He also explained that the event would be used to re-echo the essence of International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) and to re-confirm that shippers would not be liable for any payment on ICTN.
“It is something that will encourage Nigerian shippers because anything that will increase cost, our people will run away from it.
“We have in our membership manufacturers like Nigerian Breweries, Dangote Group, ABTL and Flour Mills, Nigerite, Coscharis and other prominent manufacturers.
“What we intend to do is to showcase them and make people know we are formidable in the sector.
“We want the Federal Government to know that Shippers’ Associations are forces to be reckoned with in the maritime community
“Some members who do not have products but offer services relating to imports and exports should attend. They are the informal sector, so it is all embracing”.
“The major issue is to change the mindset of practitioners. If we are able to change the mindset, it will solve the problem of poverty,’’ NAN quotes Nicol as saying.
(NAN)
