By Olubunmi ISOKPEHI, Lagos
In a bid to regulate and monitor the shipping activities and trade transactions at the Ports, the Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, has threatened to seal Hanover Bonded Terminal for failure to render services to customers satisfactorily.
This assertion was made known by the Deputy Director, Regulatory Services, NSC, Mrs Celine Ifeora, while on tour of the bonded terminal to ascertain the type of operations carried out in Lagos.
Ifeora stated the council had received various complaints from people regarding services being rendered by the terminal.
Her words: ” The viral video of someone complaining bitterly about charges is the climax; due to these complaints, the Executive Secretary, Mr. Hassan Bello, directed them to visit the terminal and hear their side of the story since complaints were coming on daily basis.”
She noted that on issue of sealing the premises, if sealed, it would take time to be reopened.
She quarried, ” Are you people capable of handling this terminal and if you are not, let us seal this place and there will be no business so that people who have the requisite power can handle it.”
Adding, ” What we will do is that if we seal the place, we will ensure that NSC staff is left within the terminal to ensure that shippers who are ready to clear their goods will be given the opportunity to do so without any form of distraction.”
She continued, ” Meanwhile, we will also ensure that no cargo is gated in, so that you too will loss business and known how painful it is when agents and owners of cargoes suffer due to your delay.”
She urged the terminal operator to automate their processes because the country cannot be retarding when other nations ports were going forward.
” We are tired of stories, processes in the port needs to be automated.”
