Shippers Council targets 7-day dwell time

The briefing was done with the Independent Corruption Practices & other Offences Commission (ICPC) helping to implement the NPPM.

The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has said it is targeting a maximum of seven days of dwell time at the Nigerian ports to improve Nigerian ports efficiency.

The Executive Secretary (ES) of NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, said the new target is part of the Nigerian Ports Process Manual (NPPM) recently launched by the Federal Ministry of Transportation.

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The briefing was done with the Independent Corruption Practices & other Offences Commission (ICPC) helping to implement the NPPM.

Bello said the development entails that only a few critical agencies physically inspect the cargo while the others are called when their attention is needed.

The NSC ES, who said containers are still trapped at the ports, tasked the Nigeria Customs Service to procure scanners so that manual cargo inspection will end,  adding that the scanners help reduce the time spent in inspection and ensure precision.

The ICPC spokesperson, Azuka Ogugua, said the commission has deployed its operatives to the ports to checkmate abuse of the NPPM.

She noted that the port manual is critical in reducing corruption, adding that ICPC is involved because the port processes manual must be implemented to block leakages as the implementation will also drive investments into the maritime industry.

Ogugua also said NSC, ICPC, and the Department of State Service (DSS) will fully enforce the port process manual.