Coming on the heels of a lingering court case between the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), shipping lines agencies and terminal operators over port and other charges, the NSC has said that it is open to out-of-court settlement with the operators.
Executive Secretary of the Council; Mr Hassan Bello, stated this recently at a stakeholders’ meeting in Apapa.
Bello said that the Appeal Court is likely to give its judgment on the case in the next one month. He, however, insisted that contentious charges have to be negotiated and approved and that the Shippers’ Council is doing everything possible to bring about a lasting solution.
According to him, “The wheel of justice is very slow, the court has determined in the first instance that money should be paid to the system to the tune of N1 trillion, which is now counting into N7 trillion.
“Our hands are tied; they have gone to obtain an injunction. I am a lawyer, for every movement they make, we also make counter moves. We are at the Court of Appeal currently and the Court of Appeal should in the next one month take a decision.
“If they go to the Supreme Court, we would also go there. We are not the ones who went to court; they took us to court because they don’t agree that their charges should be done in consultation.
“We are also open to out-ofcourt settlement if that is the case, but the most important thing is that we have to respect the laws of this country.”