SNFFIEC Raises Alarm Over NSC Seminar for Judges, Demands Accountability



Victoria Silvanus

The Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Importers and Exporters Coalition (SNFFIEC) has threatened to mobilize its members for a protest against the planned 18th International Maritime Seminar for Judges being organized by the Nigerian Shippers' Council (NSC).

The coalition described the annual seminar as a misplaced priority, arguing that the Council should channel its resources toward addressing the numerous challenges confronting freight forwarders, importers, exporters and other port users across the country.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition, its National Coordinator, Chief Osita Chukwu, criticized the Nigerian Shippers' Council for continuing to organize judicial seminars while many stakeholders are yet to feel the full impact of the Council's role as the nation's port economic regulator. He noted that the group had repeatedly called on the NSC to suspend the judges' seminar and focus on resolving pressing industry concerns affecting port users.

According to the coalition, the responsibility for organizing and funding professional training, workshops and seminars for judicial officers should primarily rest with the National Judicial Council and other relevant judicial institutions, rather than the Nigerian Shippers' Council. The group questioned why an agency saddled with protecting the interests of shippers and promoting trade facilitation should continue to expend resources on programmes outside its core mandate.

SNFFIEC further alleged that the seminar has continued over the years largely because it has not been subjected to sufficient scrutiny or challenge by industry stakeholders. The coalition also raised concerns about the participation of other government officials and industry leaders at the event, questioning who bears the financial burden for such attendance and whether the expenditure delivers tangible benefits to port users and the wider maritime sector.

The coalition maintained that critical issues such as excessive port charges, cargo clearance bottlenecks, multiple levies, poor infrastructure and other operational challenges deserve urgent attention from the Council. It warned that it may embark on a peaceful protest to register its displeasure if stakeholders' concerns continue to be ignored.

SNFFIEC urged the management of the Nigerian Shippers' Council to prioritize policies and programmes that directly impact freight forwarders, importers and exporters, insisting that such interventions would contribute more meaningfully to trade facilitation, port efficiency and economic growth

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