The Nigeria Ports Authority has expelled seven of the 14 agencies at the nation’s sea ports, in a bid to start the implementation of the new executive order signed by acting President Yemi Osinbajo, which seeks to enhance the ease of doing business in sectors across the economy.
But the expulsion of the agencies is in line with the Presidential directive pronounced by the Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala-led economic management team, years back, which streamlined the number of government agencies authorised to operate at the nation’s seaports from 14 to seven, but soon fell back to the old, overlapping and cumbersome order.
This time, the NPA directed that agencies authorised to be at the ports include the NPA, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Port Health, Immigration, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the Port Police and the Department of State Security Service (DSS).
Agencies that are expected to vacate the ports with immediate effect include; the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Quarantine Service and other any other agency not authorised to be at the ports. The ousted agencies will only be called to the ports when invited by any of the authorised agencies.
The directives for the non-authorised agencies to vacate the ports were issued by Hadiza Bala Usman, managing director of the NPA, yesterday in Apapa, Lagos, when the management of NPA and heads of other government agencies, including service providers, met to discuss the full deployment of the new executive order in all the seaports in Nigeria.
The existence of multiple agencies at the ports has resulted in delayed cargo clearance, cumbersome clearing processes and high cost of doing business. The high human interface at the ports has also given room for bribery and extortion to take place.
Reducing the number of agencies at the ports would help cut down red tape and increase timely delivery of cargo to importers’ warehouses, reducing cost and improving efficiency at the nation’s ports.
“There are challenges around bribery and extortion of port users by officers of government agencies and if any official is caught soliciting or receiving bribe from port users, such person shall be subjected to immediate removal from the port and disciplinary action, as well as criminal proceedings, in line with extant laws and regulations, would be enforced on the person with immediate effect,” said Usman.
NPA security has been directed to prohibit with immediate effect, any unauthorised entry into the ports. Touting by official or unofficial personnel would not be allowed at the port, as on-duty staff shall be properly identified by uniforms and official cards, while off-duty staff shall stay away from the ports, except with the express approval of the head of the agency.
“The NPA is also working within the given time frame, to illuminate all the port areas, in line with the implementation of the executive order, and to ensure adequate security for the port to work at night,” she added.
On the state of the Apapa roads, Usman stated that Apapa roads are under the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, which was not included in the executive order that NPA has been deployed to implement.
“However, we know that implementing the order requires functional roads. Therefore, the works ministry and NPA are working towards providing funding for the reconstruction of the roads.
“Right now, we have started palliative work on the roads but it is also important for us to conclude on the main reconstruction work,” she said.
On the establishment of a single interface platform for clearing of goods, she said the NPA has an existing portal but would still go ahead to establish the Port Community System, which will be the central meeting point, where all the agencies and stakeholders that are domiciled at the ports will interact while “we will start procuring for a vendor that would deploy the infrastructure for a single interface platform in the next one month.”
Hameed Ali, comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), emphasised that the executive order is very critical to port operations because it will improve the ease of doing business at the ports. Ali also disclosed that the Customs is perfecting arrangements to deploy officers who would be expected to work in shifts, in order to operate round-the-clock, as mandated by the executive order.
“There is no way we can stretch one officer for 24-hours, therefore we must adopt the process of shift,” he said.
On security, which was identified as a likely hindrance to effective 24-hour port operations, the Customs boss said that Customs is only concerned with clearing goods at the ports, while safety of goods on transit outside the port will rest on the shoulders of the Nigeria Police Force.
“Customs is doing everything within its powers to have functional scanners at the port because we realise that subjecting every container coming to the nation’s seaport to 100 percent physical examination will work against trade facilitation. We are working towards getting new scanners and deploying them properly in the next couple of months.”
Reacting to the issue of security, Puis Imue, AIG of Maritime Police, who disclosed that the port police is responsible for goods and human beings at the port, said that the Federal Government has also gone a step further to create Maritime Police, whose responsibility it is to guard the ports and the inland waterways.
“We are strategising to ensure adequate security within the ports but outside the port, all the commissioners of police and area commanders in all the 36 states of the country would be working together to secure cargo movement across the country.”
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
