In this second part of our interview with the Executive Secretary/ Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello, addresses the issues around POF, Port efficiency, trucking, cost and ease of doing business in the ports amongst others. Excerpts
We notice that the controversy surrounding the practitioners’ operating fee, POF, for freight forwarders is still persisting. What is Shippers Council’s position? Yes, there is a controversy because it should not be laid on cargo. It is the practitioners who should pay out of their pockets and if it is laid on cargo we are going to resist it.
I support it as long as it is the practitioners that will pay. Any attempt that will make it to be laid on cargo or put it on the shippers then that will not be nice. And we are working to see that this is not done. There is nothing wrong with the freight forwarders; I have very soft spot for them because they are the agents of the shippers and sometimes even the shippers abroad. Let me say they are the link and they perform very important work in the shipment logistics chain, but they have to grow to be professionals.