By Godfrey Bivbere

Operators in the maritime industry are divided over the planned concession of all marine operations presently the only function being carried out by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). Meanwhile the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Ports Authority has kicked against the concession plan by  the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).

Senior Special Adviser to the President on Maritime matters, Leke Oyewole, told Vanguard that he does not have details of the planned concession but stressed that if the plan is in the interest of the nation then it should be done.

He said if it will improve the fortunes of the maritime industry, it should be concessioned.

However, the National President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, who was apparently angered by the idea, said “they should concession our lives. They are not working at it whether the one they did before is working.”

Shittu noted that the plan is an avenue for politicians to help themselves. He explained that indigenous ship owners who are supposed to be helped have been abandoned, same thing with the issue of Cabotage which is still ineffective years after it was passed into law.

On his part, President of the Senior Staff Association, Comrade Umar Omeiza Jimoh, said the decision of BPE, which was communicated via a letter addressed to the Managing Director of NPA and dated Janaury 18, 2013,  has no legal backing and it would amount to re-concessioning of already concessioned services under public private partnership.

According to Umar, “the move by  BPE to snatch marine/harbour ancillary services from NPA has no legal backing and the port activities enable NPA to involve PPP in all her service. BPE should remember that the terminals concesioned (PPP) by BPE, NPA and other government agencies was done under the Port Act of 1999. Based on the above premise, we believe BPE is suffering from reactive declining syndrome.”

He noted that NPA is healthy and is carrying out all these services beneficially for the nation and there is no need for BPE to  plan for the concessioning of the services. He advised BPE to stay off NPA and beam its search light on areas it has not performed better.

“NPA is healthy and we are on top of maritime business. BPE should flash its search light on areas it has not performed well like Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL), Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) etc and should leave NPA alone.” He described BPE as fronting agent for some cabal in the government.

To the labour leader, the concession exercise, if carried out, would lead to security threat, loss of government revenue and high cost of services, mass sack and denial of common user facilities in the ports.