By Oyeniyi Iwakun
Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the Infrastructural Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) have strengthened relationship in a bid to tackle the transport infrastructural deficits across the country.
This was achieved when the Acting Director General or ICRC, Dr Chidi Izuwa paid a courtesy call to Shippers’ Council headquarters last week.
The ICRC boss noted that sound transport systems allow markets operate seamlessly as he highlighted transportation as the major problem confronting farmers and farming activities in Nigeria. He therefore, advocated that infrastructural deficits in Nigeria must be tackled.
The Acting DG also commended the NSC Executive Secretary Mr. Hassan Bello for his outstanding efforts in ensuring that the challenges in the nation’s transport system are ameliorated as he promised his continuous support to the “excellent works” of Hassan Bello and NSC while assuring them of indigenous and foreign investors’ subscription to the projects.
The ICRC boss proposed a Public Private Partnership (PPP) capacity building meeting for all directors of Shippers council on Friday, last week.
“If we don’t kill our infrastructure deficits, our infrastructure deficits will kill us. So we must tackle it in our country. There is a very solid nexus between poverty, transport infrastructural and national development. Transportation plays a key role in economic and national development and there is no developed nation without excellent national transport infrastructure. Transport systems allow market to operate by enabling the seamless movements of goods and services”
“Transport provides access to employment, health, goods and services. That is the reason why ICRC will continue to support Shippers’ Council to build Inland Container Depots (ICDs) and Truck Transit Parks (TTPs). The South African ports regulators are ready to share their wealth of experience and partner with us because we have to copy from others who have succeeded” Mr. Chidi said.
In a warm reaction, the NSC Executive Secretary, Mr. Hassan Bello observed that Nigeria is attaining progress in Export. While welcoming the ICRC delegations, he expressed his satisfaction towards ICRC’s partnership as he believed that the renewed synergy will accelerate development in the Council’s TTP and ICD projects.
“Mr Chidi has been very supportive to NSC. He has connected it with investors of TTP projects. Shipper’s Council is a promoter of TTPs which is intended to take trucks and heavy duty vehicles out of the highways. They are world facilities that should be linked to the seaports and dry ports.”
Mr. Bello who emphasized the need to diversify the nation’s economy said that NSC wants to build Nigerian ICDs to be ports of origin and destination to provide seamless transport system in Nigeria. “We want modern dry ports where automation, elimination of congestions is the key. The dry ports are to fill the gap of logistic chains.”
He also noted that every state in Nigeria is endowed with enough resources for export which must be effectively utilized “we must put an end to a situation where a container will come in loaded and leave and leave empty”.
