The Nigerian Shippers’ Council, among other government agencies affected by the Steve Oronsaye report, is facing mounting concern regarding the report’s impending implementation. This follows the establishment of a committee by the Tinubu administration tasked with executing the report’s recommendations, which aim to significantly reduce the cost of governance through extensive reforms in government agencies and parastatals.
The report, which has stirred apprehension among civil servants due to potential job losses, proposes mergers, scrapping, and absorption of certain government agencies. Notably, it strips the Nigerian Shippers’ Council of government subventions, directing the commercial regulator of the maritime industry to sustain itself financially.
In response to the post-Oronsaye report reality, the Shippers’ Council is now in a state of urgency, actively seeking alternative funding sources to maintain its operations. Particularly, the report prohibits the council from accessing the seven percent port development levy, which previously constituted a significant portion of its funding.
Executive Secretary of the council, Barrister Pius Akutah Ukeyima, stressed the need to explore alternative funding avenues to ensure the agency’s viability. He highlighted the importance of tapping into the one percent freight stabilization funds, a statutory revenue source that has been underutilized in the past.
Ukeyima emphasized the council’s obligation to enhance its revenue profile and self-funding capabilities, as mandated by the Oronsaye panel report. He underscored the council’s commitment to aligning with the report’s directives and seeking additional funding sources to support its operations and budgetary needs.
