To ensure accessibility to quality shipping services and the provision of trade related information to stakeholders in Benue and Nasarawa States, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) yesterday reopened its Makurdi Area Office to ensure accessibility to quality shipping services.
Executive Secretary of the council, Barr. Emmanuel Jime, who disclosed this during the official reopening of the NSC office in Makurdi the Benue State capital also informed that the council as Port economic regulator has been playing critical roles to ensure effectiveness, ease of doing business and cost efficiency at the ports and the entire transport chain.
He said “in order to effectively serve the interest of our stakeholders, the council is operating zonal coordinating offices in the six geo-economics zones of the country and in addition, the council is maintaining her presence in 16 area offices across different locations in the country including a liaison office in Abuja”
Jime maintained that the offices are expected to perform the statutory functions as Port regulator to ensure the delivery of quality services to respective industry and stakeholders within their environs.
He said the decision to reopen the Makurdi area office was informed by the economic potential of the state and the presence of active shippers within Benue and its environs.
“The state is well known for the abundance of cash crops with high exportable values as such as cashew nuts, Beni- seed, soya beans assorted fruits, yams among as well as the state large deposits of solid Minerals such as limestone, gypsum, kaolin, zinc, lead among others.”
Jime said in compliance with the directives of the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT) mandating her agencies to reduce overhead cost, the Council in March 2020 upon recommendations of a technical committee constituted and supervised by the Ministry suspended operations of the area office in Makurdi and Two other offices in Minna and Ekiti”Nevertheless, having carefully considered the economic viability and potentials of Benue State and its environs, particularly with the growling clusters of export processing companies in the zone, the Council re-considered the need for the resumption of her activities and services in Benue State, to ensure accessibility to quality shipping services”
The executive secretary, further enjoined stakeholders within Benue and Nasarawa to ensure optimal utilisation of the office services to benefit maximally in the cause of their shipping and logistics.
Earlier, Governor Samuel Ortom who was represented by his Chief of Staff Dr. Tivlumun Nyitse, commended jime for the step to re-open the NSC Makurdi Area Office adding that it will go a long way in creating employment opportunities for the teeming unemployed youths in the State.
The governor also appealed for continuous training of farmers in the area of accessing funds, packaging and exportation to enable them improve on their crops and as well be abreast with the standard of exporting.
