Emmanuel Jime is the executive secretary of Shippers Council. Stakeholders are accusing him of maladministration at Shippers House
By Uzor Odigbo
Expectations were rife on who takes over from former Nigerian Shippers Council Executive Secretary (NSC) Hassan Bello as stakeholders thought of a core professional that can tackle problems facing the Maritime Industry.
Stakeholders were however aghast that the Muhammadu Buhari led All Progressive Congress (APC) government has already settled to lower the standard with the appointment of Hon. Emmanuel Jime, politician.
An insider was expected, in the mode of tested retired Barr. Hassan Bello, who has in the last eight years transformed the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) into a powerhouse problem-solving agency.
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Analysts have it that Jime, unlike Hassan Bello has failed to settle down and continue the reforms and transformation at the Shippers House, therefore, lowering its credible status as Ports Economic Regulator.
Unfortunately, from the blues, the Federal government brought a core politician, a novice in Hon. Emmanuel Jime, a former House of Representatives member and former Speaker, Benue State House of Assembly to start his education and learning process in maritime and ports administration at the NSC.
His appointment which is purely political is, without doubt, have already started impacting negatively in the maritime sector.
No matter the picture or hype of his personality, onions can never be oranges.
While explaining the reasons for the appointment of CEOs into maritime agencies at the 2021 World Maritime Day Celebrations in Lagos, September, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi said, He wished an insider or a maritime professional was appointed at the NSC, but somehow his wish was dashed.
In a bid to justify the appointment of Emmanuel Jime, the Minister said Jime is gentle and does not like trouble just like Hassan Bello. How this will make Jime a good and performing Chief Executive is yet to be seen.
Unfortunately, the Federal government has been the greatest culprit in encouraging redundancy and stakeholders crises in the maritime industry, by appointing a kindergarten CEO who came to add to the existing problems instead of solving them, of course, they cannot give what they don’t have.
From the political calendar, the current NSC, Executive Secretary, has barely 30 months to make his mark before the incoming government in May 2023. What can Emmanuel Jime really do?. Already he has wasted the last four months, still counting receiving visitors and making promises with no clear cut blueprint or working agenda for the NSC.
Meanwhile, as he is learning the ropes, his entitlements are ongoing.
Who then is losing? Of course, the maritime industry, stakeholders and Nigerian people.
Following his lack of knowledge in the Industry, the NSC, Nigeria’s port economic regulator under Jime’s watch has been slammed for aiding the excesses of foreign shipping lines operating in Nigerian ports.
There have been perennial squabble between freight forwarders and shipping lines over the failure of the former to refund container deposits paid to them.
Freight forwarders have blamed the cause of the inability to return the empty containers to the shipping lines on the failure to acquire holding bays where empties are supposed to be dropped.
Speaking recently on behalf of the five registered associations under the Elders Forum of the Council for Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Kayode Farinto, National Vice President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) said that despite ripping Nigerians off, NSC sign for the shipping companies to repatriate the funds abroad.
The group accused the Council of allowing the shipping companies to get away with the funds they make from demurrages and unreturned container deposits. The group maintained that if they have been denied signature to repatriate the funds, all the problems would have been solved before now.
On acquisition of holding bays, he stated that there was no hiding place for the operators anymore. “I don’t know where they want to hide now, every shipping company is expected to have what is called holding bays and you and I know that the various holding bays they have cannot contain the number of empties they have.
“How can you bring 500 containers and have a holding bay that can contain only 200 containers. Who is fooling who? Meanwhile, you allow our container deposits to be depleting on the trucks and the Shippers’ Council continue to sign for them to repatriate this money.
“We have studied the intricacies and technicalities of these things, we know it and we are now saying Shippers’ Council should desist from signing this thing for them and if they do that, there would be sanity in our ports. It is because we are allowing them to have a field day, you are charging them for a deposit, charging container detention and repatriating this money and Nigerians are signing this money to be repatriated,” Farinto said.
Stakeholders are of the opinion that the Executive Secretary of the NSC may not do much because by the time he finishes his learning process, is either the new government in 2023 may boot him out or if he is retained in Office, he will be busy lobbying the new government to keep his job. It seems maritime stakeholders have entered “One Chance” with Emmanuel Jime’s appointment