FG to trim agencies, processes at seaports for ease of doing business

The Federal Government says it will cut down the number of agencies operating at the seaports and airports as a way of removing excessive bureaucracies in doing business in a recession hit economy.

As part of the plan, visa applications by prospective investors will be handled within 48 hours and travellers will be made to fill only one form other than three at the point of departure or entry,” Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed said in an interview with BusinessDay.
“In the area of ease of doing business, we are trying to reduce the number of agencies at the sea ports, the number of agencies at the airport, we are working also to ensure that, for instance, you can get visa application attended to within 48 hours. We have sent letters to all embassies to this effect,” said Lai Mohammed.
This comes amid rising calls on the government to carry out reforms on Nigeria’s ports to ease clearance of vessels as multiple levies and bureaucracies by different agencies at the ports force importers to seek recourse at the nearest port of Cotonou.
Nigeria launched a Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise clinic, where Vice President Yemi Osinbajo blamed government agencies for hampering easy business processes in the country through unnecessary bureaucracies.
Travellers in and out of the country’s international airports are also made to fill three different slips, which many say should be compressed into one, to ease movement.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan commenced a set of port reforms in 2011 which saw the sacking of ten agencies from the nation’s seaports, accusing them of working against international best practices in port administration.
The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Directorate of Naval Intelligence (DNI) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) were all affected in the process.
Others include the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA), the Plant Quarantine and Animal Quarantine (PQAQ), the National Environmental Regulatory and Standards Agency (NESREA) and the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN).
Only five out of the 14 agencies at the ports were then allowed by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to operate after the expiration of the ultimatum as the NCS was mandated to embark on 24-hour operation at the ports.
Government had then warned against extortion at the ports and said it were keen to reduce the time spent on clearing goods, from several weeks to about a week or less, as obtained in other countries.
Despite those reforms, there are still concerns on large numbers of processes for cargo clearing at Nigerian ports, involving the issuing of about 46 stamps from 46 desks of government officials before the importers finally receive goods.
The situation in Nigerian ports is reportedly about 600 per cent more bureaucratic than what obtains at the Port of Cotonou, where there are only five tables of government officials issuing just five stamps.
Experts are urging government to make the Nigerian port system efficient to become the preferred destination for shippers, Nigerian importers, and other such neighbouring landlocked countries like the Republic of Niger.
Lai Mohammed said government was planning to ease frustrating bureaucracies at the seaports and also at the airports, by merging functions of the three agencies operating at the airport.
“Very soon, there will be only one single form that anybody that is travelling will fill. Before you fill forms for customs, immigration and health, we have put all those into one form”.
He also spoke on the plans by the government to shorten procurement processes in the country, stating that the President would soon come up with the much awaited executive order to ease the burden.
Last year, the Muhammadu Buhari led the government put together an “Emergency Economic Stabilisation” Bill that will give the President extra powers such to amend laws that could revive the economy. The bill, proposed by the Economic Management Team, was also to empower the President to set aside extant laws and use executive orders to roll out an economic recovery package.
“There is an executive order that the President is going to give very soon to make it less burdensome. Some of these are laws, which means we have to go to the National Assembly to amend or repeal them.
“For instance, we find it quite unhelpful that you have to advertise for six weeks and wait for another six weeks to open a tender, it is not helping business at all. As a matter fact even the percentage of the money they pay contractors to mobilise is not reasonable, asking that contractors be paid 15percent and it is responsible largely for the abandonment of most projects” Mohammed said, speaking on the executive powers.
Speaking further, he disclosed they have made some proposals at the level of the Economic Management Team. I think it is part of the exclusive powers.
“It is a combination of the exclusive powers the president is asking from the National Assembly. I think that there are some within his own powers that he does not need to go to National Assembly for. But some are laws that we need to repeal or amend”.