President of the National Association of Stevedoring Companies (NASC), Bolaji Summola, has enjoined members of the association to concur with the provision of its new operational guidelines.
At the association’s general meeting held in Lagos on Tuesday, Summola said that the association’s advocacy for the professionalism of stevedoring services can only be strengthened if its members comply strictly with the provision of the guidelines principally by renewing their operating licenses and registering with the regulatory body – the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
“In the guideline, this is distinctively spelt out as to the modalities and how it should be done. It is important and key for the association to have a voice in doing so because we want to ensure that our service is professional. And how do we ensure that it is professional? It is by you and I adhering and heeding strictly to the rules and regulations that we have set by ourselves.
“The few of us that are in operations, let us ensure that we adhere to the rules and regulations so that we can strictly control our operations and not allow mediocres spoil our work for us,” he said.
Summola said that the operational guideline is being worked out following recommendations in the report submitted by the Ministerial Committee on Stevedoring Operation and Jetty Review set up by the Minister of Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, to address the issues affecting stevedoring operations.
He said that the association had via a memorandum made submissions to the ministerial committee which were included and clearly captured in the committee’s report.
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