By Eniola Idris
Conflicting directives from the agencies operating within the port value chain and reporting to different supervising ministries with jurisdictional overlaps and duplication of functions have caused major setback to Nigeria’s move to become Africa’s maritime hub.
These factors have posed major hindrances to the aspirations of creating seamless port operations.
The Acting Managing Director, NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, disclosed this during the first retreat for the reconstituted board of the NPA, with the theme “Expanding the Frontiers of Service Excellence” which ended last weekend in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
Notwithstanding these challenges, Bello- Koko said NPA is determined to leverage Nigeria’s status as Africa’s biggest economy to actualize the country’s maritime hub status in the region, through investments in modern deep seaports that will attract very large merchant vessels with the attendant multiple socio-economic benefits, as well as boost port revenue performance.
He explained that “some of the benchmarks we are yet to achieve are dependent on externalities and variables that require concerted inter-agency actions, which the Authority, despite dogged efforts is yet to optimally achieve owing to systemic administrative constraints and red tapism, including conflicting directives from the agencies operating within the port value chain and reporting to different supervising Ministries with jurisdictional overlaps and duplication of functions”, he stressed.
Speaking on the new direction and measures being put in place to actualize the agency’s aspirations, Bello-Koko explained that a lot has been done, especially in the last few months to resolve most of the identified constraints to efficient movement of cargoes to and from port locations.
“Nigeria accounts for about 70 percent of cargoes imported into West and Central Africa and the country controls an impressive stretch of the Atlantic Ocean. Nigeria’s rich aquatic endowments and her border with landlocked nations makes development of deep seaports a huge potential revenue earner for the nation.
The move towards earning the status of hub in the region is in line with our new vision statement, which was adopted at the recent NPA Management retreat, “To Be The Maritime Logistics Hub For Sustainable Port System In Africa”, he said.
The acting NPA Boss also informed that recent interventions made by the Authority has led to significant improvement in terms of ship and cargo dwell time at the port.
He further informed the board that concerted efforts are being made to expand the revenue streams of the Authority, in addition to revenue from traditional port operations. According to him, “unlike the practice in our sister francophone countries where government funds dredging of ports, we are responsible for funding ours which put a lot of strain on our resources and capacity to invest in critical port infrastructure.
“We are facing decaying port infrastructure, for example sections of the quay aprons or walls at Tin Can Island Port, Onne, Delta and Calabar ports are collapsing and require huge funds to repair them. With the increasing pressure to remit more revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federation, it has become very difficult to have sufficient funds to attend to these decaying facilities, hence the need to explore alternative funding sources outside the traditional port service offerings” he stated.
The NPA boss disclosed that the management has begun to explore smart ways to boost the revenue performance of the organization.
He explained that the Authority is blessed with prime real estate, which could serve as alternative funding sources outside the regular budget.
“NPA has a lot of high value landed properties in Onne, Snake Island, and Takwa Bay that are designated free trade zones and mostly allocated but with poor arterial road network and other infrastructure to make them attractive for private investments which would bring good revenue to the Authority and Federal Government.
“Management will need the support of the Board to drive the process of alternative revenue sources to actualize the lofty aspirations of the Authority,” he posited.
Bello-Koko also touched on efforts by the management to make Nigerian seaports more business- friendly. In his words, “we have been able to deploy technology to address the perennial traffic gridlock that has been frustrating the conduct of business around the Lagos ports corridor. A software application code named “eto” is gradually restoring sanity to trucking business despite the initial teething problems and resistance by vested interests hitherto profiting from the chaos.
He added that the NPA has accredited 33 private truck terminals within the Lagos area, in addition to the Lilypond Truck Transit Park and Tin Can Island Port Truck Transit Park, to ensure trucks do not park indiscriminately on the access roads and would only be allowed to transit to the port after obtaining electronic tickets via the “eto” call-up platform.
Other solutions being implemented is the push to link all seaports to the national rail network as well optimize the use of the inland waterways through the transfer of cargo or containers via barges.
He added that, currently, the NPA is streamlining barge operations to ensure efficiency, safety and cost effective cargo delivery for increased port revenue.
The acting Managing Director in his remarks equally acknowledged recent steps taken by the Ministry of Transportation and theNPA towards the timely execution of the new green-field deep seaport to be domiciled in Bonny, Rivers State.
The Bonny seaport project, boosted by two major railway projects, would massively transform the economic landscape of the country, particularly the South South and South Eastern regions.
Meanwhile, on the South Western axis is the Lekki Deep Seaport, which should be operational next year.
The two port projects will usher a new vista of economic prosperity and further consolidate the country’s status as gateway to the African economy, he noted.
Chairman of the Board, Mr.Emmanuel Adesoye, described the retreat as an opportunity for the Board and Management “not just to rethink our strategies, structures and systems for effective service delivery, but also to unwind, reconnect and strengthen our bonds as team players committed to upholding excellence”, he remarked.
The Chairman called for clear and deliberate efforts by the NPA towards efficient operations, competitive and diversified export driven economy; a strong and incentive based system aligned with win-win relationships to enhance profitability and productivity for the concessionaires, NPA, and the Nigerian State; increase in alternative revenue streams; and effective collaboration based on transparency and constant communication with all relevant stakeholders across the port value chain.
