By Innocent Orok
In it efforts to promote and encourage Export trade, Bellington Cargo Terminal one of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) approved E- Call Up Export Terminal on Wednesday organise another stakeholders meeting to educate exporters, importers, truckers and other stakeholders on the processes and procedures, especially as regards the new Portal for E- call Up system.
In his remarks during the meeting the OC Terminal, Assistant Comptroller Cyril Epundu said he was recently redeployed from Onne Port to the terminal and that he has come to facilitate trade and streamline the processes.
” Every stakeholder has a role to play, there is expectations from you as well as expectations from the Customs. Understand the business and streamline the processes.
” Have come to facilitate trade, we can only facilitate trade when you do what you are suppose to do, which has to do with trust. Am here to guide you and not to draw you back, but to move you forward. If you know anything will put you in trouble avoid it”, Epundu said.
He also promised if there are issues raised in the meeting that is beyond him , he will take it to his Area Controller at Lillypond Export Terminal.
Giving the background to the stakeholders meeting, the Executive Assistant, Bellington Cargo Terminal, Mr Dennis Emetitiri said in the past three months there have been a lot of transitions which has to do with policy changes on movement of trucks, truck manifests, regulation of number of trucks per day and how many trucks are allowed to access the ports a day.
He also said the gathering was to address the challenges faced by their clients in terms of proper releasing by the Customs. According to him the terminal hided to their demands and now there is an Assistant Comptroller of Customs , who served as OC Terminal and the Releasing Officer at the terminal.
He also informed them that, the government has limited all export activities to only Lillypond Export Terminal, which means that no other port can process export apart from the Lillypond terminal and some other authorized terminals like Bellington Cargo Terminal. He also said due to the challenges of location, Bellington Cargo Terminal has two other terminals at Ijora and Kirikiri Lighter Terminal ( KLT) which also carries out export processes.
Speaking earlier, Mohammed Kabir Umar, Head, Business Development and Human Resources said the stakeholders meeting was to discuss and lunch the new E- Call Up portal which is a significant advancement designed to streamline the call -up operations.
He said the meeting will delve into the operational modalities of Bellington Export processing terminal. ” We will address key areas , including documentation, examination procedures, call up processes, truck movement, and park management.
” We believe that by clarifying these modalities and presenting them systematically , we can help everyone understand how the new portal will integrate into these existing processes to enhance overall productivity”.
Umar encourage all stakeholders to engage openly and constructively throughout the discussions.
Stakeholders were excited at the meeting as they asked questions in various areas of operations and answers were provided to them.