Nigerian Ports In State Of Confusion, Say Clearing Agents
The Nigerian ports industry is currently in a state of confusion and needs urgent and complete overhaul to be rescued from going into comatose.
President, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Lucky Amiwero, who disclosed this in a chart with SlyeNews said the port system in Nigeria is currently not working, while the national economy continues to dwindle.
Discussing about the fare of the nation’s economy after 62 years of independence, Amiwero said the economy is still in shambles.
He accused the public office holders of lacking sincerity of purpose in their quest for policy formulation and implementation, urging them to look back into the ruins and chart a way forward for better Nigeria.
He said: “Just look at the port industry, it is bedeviled with lack of coordination, everybody is just doing what he likes. Nigeria runs the most expensive ports in the world, uncoordinated, unfocused and inefficient.
“Look at Lekki port, it was constructed without a rail. Can you call that a hub. The cheapest means of transportation is rail. To convey things efficiently from the port to hinterland is when you have a rail port. You don’t build a port and call it a transshipment port in such a location without a rail. The port may become useless as time goes on, because it is going to attract so much cost even more than you have in Apapa and TinCan ports. Lekki port will attract the same problem of congestion.
“ACFTA is going to be implemented fully, is Nigeria ready. Our exchange rate is skyrocketing. Our interest rate is skyrocketing, the economy is been battered so much. We know there are problem all over the world, but how are we managing our own?
“What are the indices, the oil, which is the mainstay of the economy, is being smuggled away. The quantity of oil that is moving out of the country is quite alarming.
“ASSU has been on strike for several months, and most of our leaders all their children are abroad, so just discover that many of those people in government are not interest in the economy of the country. All they want is just to make some money and fly away.
“When you are talking of 62 years of independence, what have we achieved, we don’t have any ocean going ship. We have not implemented some of the NIMASA Act, since it was set up in 2007. What have we done to Section 16 and 17 of the Act?
“So, if you look at the whole gamut of the port industry, it is virtually in comatose, in a state of confusion. We are not creating wealth. The terminal operators agreement is a lease and not concession as being popularly called. Everyone is just doing what he or she likes. You don’t run a country like this.
“There is no law for concession. What you have in the NPA Act is five years lease. We don’t have any concession anywhere. The port Act only allows to lease for five years. The people who did that concession were Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE). NPA law does not have concession, what we have there is lease agreement.
“Concession is not all about giving to private sector operators. It has three lement and one of the element is if the country cannot run an efficient port, they can go into joint ventures, and that is what is happening in Ghana. They have their consortium with APMT and Bolore, but in Nigeria what do we call this kind of arrangement. Where do you see the law? It is confusing.” he said.
Amiwero however urged public officials at all levels to be patriotic and chart a way forward for the country with sincerity of purpose.
