By Francis Ogwo
Heads of Federal Government agencies in Nigeria’s maritime sector have moved to implement plans that can guarantee a 24-hour port operations.
This is in compliance with an Executive Order on ease of doing business across the nation’s seaports signed by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Oshinbajo, in 2017,
These agencies include Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), which made the joint disclosure at the second meeting of all the heads of maritime parastatals in the country in Lagos recently.
According to them, efficiency and smooth operations at the ports would be achieved when all stakeholders in the maritime sector join forces.
The Director-General of NIMASA,. Bashir Jamoh, while speaking at the meeting, noted that the agencies recognize the importance of having a workable multimodal transport system across the Nigerian seaports.
He noted that the meeting is important to the chief executives of the federal government agencies as they were opportuned to discuss on key areas of common challenges, which would make maritime safety improve while adding that the agency was in process of ensuring that floating duck are deployed in moving cargo out of ports into various dry ports location and the eastern part of the country.
“Part of the issue we deliberated today is on the issue of port community systems; what we did is that we agreed that we are going to have a committee that would look into the operationality of the port community systems, whereby the community would have a say in what we do in the Nigerian maritime domain.
“That committee would look into possibility of reaching out to ports operators and stakeholders alike and by extension, look into the issue of 24 hours of the operationality of Nigeria’s port systems.
“The committee of the chief executives observed that port efficiency and effectiveness in any country cannot be achieved with 24 hours ports operation systems.”
Also speaking was the Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, who stressed the need for urgent implementation of the report of the Presidential Council on ease of doing business across government’s agencies.
Bala-Usman said “The NPA and some government agencies set about to commence 24 hours port operations, but as you know, port operations cannot be done in isolation; all agencies of the government and other stakeholders must come together.”
She also emphasized the importance of giving incentives for people to come and clear their cargo within 24 hours.
“This involves transversing port locations at night, moving your cargoes outside all this location would enable consignees to be comfortable in coming to pick their cargoes within 24 hours, “she added.
Also adding his view was the Executive Secretary, NSC, Hassan Bello, who said efficiency, infrastructure and attitude are vital ingredients for better operations at the port.
“The country must make multimodal means of transport an economic issue; if for example I deploy train as we are doing to evacuate cargo for every train trip 38 trailers or trucks are taking out of the road. If we deploy our barges, it mean about hundred trucks are also off the road. So the kiosk of gridlock is a function of inefficiency and lack of planning,” Bello said.
Concluding was the Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr. George Moghalu, who stated that said it has issued an order to ensure all operators comply with necessary laws regarding safety in view of recurrent accidents in the nation’s water-ways.
It would be recalled that on the 18th of May 2016, the then acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, signed the executive order on the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria.
It contains far-reaching initiatives to be implemented by MDAs to ensure easier access to information, processes and documentation, as well as promote efficiency in public service delivery.
The Executive order had five major planks namely: Transparency, One Government, Default Approvals, Entry experience of Travelers and Visitors, Ports Operations
