The Executive Secretary/CEO of Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Hassan Bello, said that revival of a national shipping carrier was key to the nation’s economic development.
Bello, who was on Friday appointed by the Federal Government as the Chairman of the Implementation Committee on National Maritime carrier, stated this while receiving the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Bayo Onanuga, in his office.
Nigeria’s national carrier. the Nigerian National Shipping Line (NNSL) was liquidated in 1995 by the government of late Gen. Sanni Abacha.
Bello said, “We cannot pretend to be a maritime nation without a flagship. We are trading all over the world as far as Asia but this is the time for us to have our own ships.”
He said the proposed national carrier “is going to be private sector-led”.
“We want full automation of our ports and we want trade facilitation, single window, cargo tracking note and we want to restore the pride of Nigeria as far as shipping is concerned.
”We will work toward making Nigeria the hub of the sub-region in shipping,” he stated further.
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