By Godwin Oritse with agency reports
Lagos—The Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, yesterday said that the implementation of the minimum standards for haulage at the ports would commence today.

The Apapa Port Manager, Mr Anas Nasir, said in Lagos that the new haulage policy would be inaugurated at Lagos ports with an awareness campaign for truck drivers.

NPA had earlier informed the Association of Maritime Truck Owners, AMATO, of its intention to implement the policy.

Besides the moves to standardize the haulage business, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council ,NSC, in collaboration with the Federal Road Committee on Surveillance and Action Against Road Abuse    have acquired 4,000 capacity holding bay for trucks.

Nasir said the strategy was necessitated by the truck owners association’s appeal to NPA to make the operational standards implementation a gradual process and also safeguard their business.

He said: “We are going to adopt a gradual approach in enforcing the minimum standards for operational trucks at the port following the association’s appeal.”

“Being the last quarter of the year there may be high demand for their services and if it may harm their business if a number of them cannot operate, ”Nasir said.

The port manager, however, noted that adopting a mild approach for now did not mean safety standards would be compromised.

He stressed the need for truck drivers’ education on maintenance as part of the required standards.

“It will just be for a period to allow the drivers to key into the new agreement and requirement and it is hoped that they will take it seriously.

“If rickety trucks are not patronised by the agents the truck owners would be forced to maintain the minimum standards.”

Chief Remi Ogungbemi, the Chairman, Association of Maritime Truck Owners, AMATO, said an awareness campaign should precede the minimum standard implementation.

He said since the trucks were manufactured outside Nigeria more time should be given to truck owners to overhaul their fleet.

Ogungbemi blamed the lack of  maintain  of trucks on multiple levies imposed on them by different government agencies.

“The truck maintenance had been a great challenge as a result of  the multiple levies truck owners pay to different agencies of government regularly.

“After such payments truck owners have very little money left to care of themselves and also maintain their trucks.

Under the new policy, NPA’s truck minimum standards focuses on truck head, carriage unit, tyres, vehicle particulars and warning devices.

Agents fault port concession model

Meanwhile, Mr Uchu Block, the Vice President, National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, yesterday, faulted the nation’s port concession model, describing it as major setback to the local content policy.

He said in Lagos that the policy would make it difficult for Nigerians to take over from the present terminal operators after the agreed 25-year agreed period of concession.

“These concessionaires are to develop the ports within the time frame that they have been given to operate and then hand over to Nigerians.

“But they just operate without anybody checking them, nobody has been monitoring them. How many Nigerians are working there and who will take over after 25 years?

“So their mindset is that after 25 years if Nigeria does not have anybody to hand over to they will continue,” Block said.

He expressed disappointment with the level of decay at the ports in spite of the NPA- imposed port development levy.

“NPA collects 7 per cent port levy but most of the facilities in the port environment are not in good condition.

“There are portholes inside the ports let alone the ones outside the Tin Can Island Port gate. All these make the port environment very unfriendly.

“They promise to build ports in other places, but you cannot be in Lagos and be using the port in Bauchi just as those in Onitsha use the Lagos ports for lower cost and ease,” he said.

Mr Musa Iliya, the NPA Assistant General Manager, Public Affairs, however said that they still maintained the common-user facilities to ensure steady operation at the ports.

“It is known that the NPA built the park and the fenders at the ports.