• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Shippers Council educates shippers on PSSP, other complaint management mechanisms

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Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), the country’s ports economic regulator, has advised shippers in the country to utilise the newly introduced Port Services Support Portal (PSSP) to lodge their complaints, for effective resolution of issues.

Hassan Bello, executive secretary/chief executive officer of NSC, gave this advice in Aba, the commercial hub of Abia State, at a one-day clinic on complaint handling mechanism/operations of port services support portal, organised by the NSC at the secretariat of Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA).

Bello, who was represented by Winner Anayo, zonal director, South-East zone of NSC, observed that the PSSP would eliminate corruption and other bottlenecks that militate against quick dispensation of complaints.

He explained that the intervention role of the NSC, which is purely economic, is designed to protect critical strategic aspects of international trade of the country, from exploitative tendencies of monopolistic or oligopolistic shipping service providers, while supporting the fundamental principles of growth within a liberalised economy.

He stressed that the PSSP project of the NSC is a veritable instrument for the achievement of the above mentioned goal, if properly harnessed by all stakeholders.

“Our gathering here is based on the importance the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) attaches to taking proactive measures capable of improving the nation’s international traders in the global market.

“Moreover, it was in the light of this that the Federal Government appointed the NSC as the Port Economic regulator in 2014.

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“The responsibilities of the NSC in the nation’s international trade and shipping include efficiency and timely delivery of shipping services to importers and exporters, by the shipping services providers, minimisation of and stabilisation of cost, such as freight rates, port charges, local shipping charges, haulage charges, among others”.

He stated that the NSC ensures adequate understanding and know-how amongst the various practitioners in international trade, both at the micro and macro levels, regular and reliable advice to the federal government on matters affecting the shipment of goods into and out of the country.

Moses Fadipe, deputy director, complaint, NSC, who presented a paper on effective complaints management mechanism and port service support portal (PSSP), said that the clinic was designed to give stakeholders in-depth knowledge of effective complaints management system, using various options and more importantly, the PSSP, to enable them to successfully lodge and submit complaints.

The training enabled the attendees to understand how to submit a complaint and track the status, as well as how to progress with the case to completion, through any option they choose to adopt.