The pending litigations against the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has been described as a major impediment to efficient regulations in the Nigerian shipping business.

However, the situation is already threatening its moves to make the maritime sector contribute optimally to the economic development of the nation.

The Executive Secretary of the Council, Hassan Bello, who disclosed this during the oversight function of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport in Lagos, said it was the “aim of the NSC to be the foremost economic development regulatory agency providing regulatory system that fosters efficient service delivery.”
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He noted that the Council would contribute optimally to the economic development of the nation while protecting the rights interests of all stakeholders in line with best practices.”

Bello lamented that a major mistake was not to have appointed a regulator when the ports were concessioned. Hence, there have been a lot of hitches and challenges, which the Council has been strategising to surmount.

The executive secretary, while presenting the nine-month budget performance of the Council to members of the Senate Committee, said the NSC generated about N5.1billion between January and September 2016.

He said that the revenue accrued from statutory allocation from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, as well as the fees, including the ports development levy, earnings and sales, incomes from conferences and seminars.

The Council, according to him, generated incomes from International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) and rents from its office buildings, sales of journals and publications and other sources.

He noted that the sum of N4.04 billion went into expenditure, which included capital expenditure, personnel costs and recurrent expenditure.

Bello said that in 2015, the sum of N6.88 billion was collected as revenue by the Council, while N408 million was remitted into the Federal Government’s Sub-Treasury.

He added that: “Additional responsibility as interim regulator of ports increased activities of the Council. And court cases challenging the NSC’s responsibility as port regulator also affected the Council.”

According to him, the 2015 capital budget which did not perform optimally due to strict adherence to public procurement processes in compliance with the Public Procurement Act 2007, also affected the council.

Bello further told the lawmakers that training and development of staff was rigorously pursued.