The Nigerian Shippers’ Council says the launch of the Nigerian Port Process Manual, (NPPM) has minimised corrupt practices and congestion in the ports.
In a report on Friday, the council announced that the NPPM has saved the Nigerian economy average vessel demurrage of $20,000 per day between 2020 and 2021 which ultimately translated to the sum of $6,540,000 N3.270 billion.
M. O. Fadipe, national coordinator, Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) said the launch of the NPPM, has achieved a reduction in the number of infractions from 121 in the year 2020 to 12 in 2021. This he said was made possible through the transparency of the SOPs, consistency of its application and predictability in doing business at the Nigerian ports.
Fadipe said the NPPM achieved a reduction in average time of resolving complaints bothering on vessel infractions from 7 – 10 days to 1-4 hours, thereby saving the nation hundreds of millions in foreign exchange.
“These incremental changes, if sustained, will contribute towards improving Nigeria’s position on the Ease of Doing Business rankings as well as Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) which will ultimately drive investment and development in the country’s maritime sector.” he said
Read also: Shippers commend amicable dispute resolution at ports
Emmanuel Jime, the executive secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council said transactions at Nigerian Ports have become more transparent, predictable, and consistent in line with best practices. “More than 85 percent of vessels that called at Nigerian ports and terminals left without incident in 2021,” he explained
He said PSTT in the course of carrying out its activities, illegal demands by officials of manning agencies, for the total sum of $50,650 which could have gone into private pockets were averted.
“The task team ensured that where infractions occurred, same were legitimately booked by relevant agencies of government involved in boarding exercise” he noted
Meanwhile, Ajani, Magdalene, the permanent secretary, federal ministry of transportation has urged all agencies working at the port to ensure transparency and desist from corrupt practices. She warned that any agency caught in any form of malpractices will be penalised.
