. . . Harps on budgetary provision for the Council

By Godwin Oritse

THE leadership of the Nigerian Port Consultative Council, NPCC, has commenced moves to create a Research department with a view to creating a robust maritime data base.

Speaking to Vanguard Maritime Report at the just concluded quarterly meeting of the Council held at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos, Chairman of the Council, Mr. Bolaji Sunmola, said that the creation of that department is something the Council must take up.

Sunmola also said that the research department will be such that data on the maritime industry can be warehoused and reconciled in one place.

He stated: “We actually want to open a department of research on its own whereby we can have all these data that we churn out and let NPCC be a one stop office where all the figures generated from the Nigerian port industry can be reconciled along with data obtained from abroad at the same time.

‘‘So we are taking it up and I have just asked the experts that have spoken here to work on it and give us a kind of synopsis for us to develop and move forward with.”

On budgetary allocation for the Council, Sunmola said that the Council wants to dilute its source of funding adding that most members of the organization are not pulling their weight enough.

The Council Chair commended the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, for its support to the Council over the years noting that so many other stakeholders can come in and support the Council to fund its activities.

“There are so many more interventions we want to embark upon. We want to embark on training, we want to embark on one or two sensitization programmes within the port industry which is very important for the industry but the paucity of funds is limiting us but we want to say that whatever money is put in NPCC will be money well spent, I can assure the industry about that.’’