LAGOS, SEPTEMBER 6, 2016 – The Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi, has said that harmonising Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other ports operations’ portal will guarantee national safety, security of persons, cargoes and properties.Amaechi said this in a message to the launch of the Harmonised SOPs and Port Service Support Portal (PSSP) at the Lagos Port on Tuesday.
Amaechi was represented by the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadizah Usman.
He recalled that both the SOPs and PSSP had been officially launched by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on June 23 in Abuja.
Amaechi said that the platforms would facilitate seamless transit of cargoes from ports to the markets.
He said that the SOPs and PSSP would support port infrastructure development for sustenance of sea-borne trade as well as reduce the cost of doing business in the ports and reducing the cost of goods in the markets..
Amaechi said that it was necessary to create a sufficient condition for the ports sector to efficiently support the economy.
The minister said that this would enable faithful delivery of ports services in a friendly environment, devoid of conflict of interest and corrupt practices.
“According to UNCTAD 2015 Review of Maritime Transport, the total volume of cargoes carried by sea-borne trade in 2014 was 9.84 billion tonnes.
“The World Shipping Council 2016 report shows that ships carry approximately 60 per cent of the value of global trade representing more than USD $4 trillion worth of goods annually.
“This underscores the importance of the maritime sector to the global economy and the Nigerian economy,’’ NAN quotes Amaechi as saying.
The minister said that the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had prior to 2013, noted that the pre-requisites for the effectiveness and efficiency in Nigeria were in short supply.
He said that MACN and UNDP recommended an intervention by government.
Amaechi recalled the roles played by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the Technical
Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), and the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), with the support of the UNDP in 2013.
He said that the above mentioned organisations carried out a Corrupt Risk Assessment (CRA) of the six ports in Nigeria such as Calabar, Warri, Tin-Can, Apapa, Port Harcourt and Onne ports.
The minister said there was a research aimed at strengthening preventive mechanisms by identifying areas that were prone to corruption in the ports while the report was launched in December 2013.
He said that the collaboration between government agencies and other organisations in the port sector had culminated in the successful launch of the harmonised SOP and PSSP.
Amaechi, however, urged all stakeholders in the ports sector to associate with this project aimed at providing quality service to members of the public and international community that attended the ports for business.
In her opening remarks, the managing director of NPA, said the initiative of drafting, adoption and harmonisation of SOPs and PSSP in Nigeria sought to enhance transparency and accountability to ensure a user-friendly business environment.
She said that the SOPs were meant for each agency to establish operational standards and guide customers on what they need to do to receive good quality services.
Usman said that SOPs and PSSP would mininise variation and promote quality through consistent implementation of processes or procedures within the organization.
She said that with the launch, unwholesome practice by service providers at the ports would be reduced, if not completely eliminated.
The managing director said that it would become easier to detect culprits and defaulters and sanction them.
Usman said that the on-going reform to facilitate maritime traffic and trade had led to a reduction in the number of agencies in the ports.
“The Federal Government in its 2016 budget has prioritsed development of infrastructure for the transportation sector.
“The automation of ports operation by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has prepared the stage for 48-hour cargo clearance.
“The update of ASYCUDA from (++) to 3.0 and other reforms will also attract Foreign Direct Investments to Nigeria, thus making the country a trade-hub, “NAN quotes Usman as saying.
Also speaking, the Stakeholder Manager of APM Terminals, Mr Daniel Odibe, said that all the operators knew the importance of SOPs in their operation.
Odibe said that his organisation would support the government to achieve desired result.
He said that the operation of SOPs and PSSP should be reviews periodically to enable all port operations and government agencies to criticise the operations for proper results.
Also speaking, the Executive Director, Port Operations, ENL Consortium, Mr Mark Walsh, said his company would work hard and see that the system functions effectively.
He said that his company would assist the NPA by doing the right thing.
The General Manager, Greenview Development Nigeria Ltd, Mr Yakubu Abdullahi, said that the essence of SOPs and PSSP was for port reform, which would improve on cargo throughput.
Abdullahi said that the operation would give room for transparency and stop corruption with the support of the NP, adding that 24-hour cargo clearance would be achievable.
