The Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA), Nigeria has said that Nigerian seaports have attained international standard in terms of infrastructure.
The President of the association, Mrs. Jean Chiazor-Anishere, said this in an interview with newsmen in Lagos.
Chiazor-Anishere said the ports attained international standard after terminal operations were concessioned to reputable private companies.
“Port concessioning has introduced new equipment. Never mind the incessant charges that shippers are complaining about. In terms of infrastructure, our seaports are now of international standard.
“In terms of wharf rats in the years past, they were so many.
“When the Minister of Finance took a drastic step and reduced agencies [at the ports] to five, after a few moments, the agencies went back to the ports.
“If you consider that with what we used to have in the past, the number has actually reduced.
“The Nigeria Customs Service in their wisdom have introduced PAAR system (Pre Arrival Assessment Report). Although we know it was what COTECNA started with, the fact that the Nigeria Customs has adopted that and modified it to suit our own situation is commendable and should be encouraged because they are making it indigenised, making it localised to our own system,” she said.
She urged the Federal Government to extend the rail tracks to the ports to decongest the roads leading to the wharf.
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