By Ebuka Oko

THE Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, has engaged the maritime industry’s key stakeholders and leaders in the reappraisal of some key challenges facing operators in the industry. The stakeholder groups comprising the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria, CRFFN, and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, NAGAFF, had headed to the NPA to raise issues of concern with the Authority.

Hadiza Bala Usman

Meanwhile, to facilitate access to operational information, the NPA has agreed to integrate the CRFFN transaction portal into the Authority’s Web Portal.

During the reception of the CRFFN Governing Board members led by Abubakar Tsanni Amadi, on a courtesy visit to NPA corporate headquarters in Lagos, the Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, explained that the move was to create a synergy between activities of the Authority and the Council.

Usman assured port users and especially the Governing Board of the Council that the NPA management will promote an enabling environment and support to the Council in its quest at having a smooth operation in the ports.

She equally told the delegation that NPA was presently carrying out a review of the concession agreement with the terminal operators with the support of the World Bank for more efficient port operation and to put them in shape in line with international best practices.

Chairman of the CRFFN, Alhaji Abubakar Tsanni Amadi, said they were in the NPA to seek a mutual relationship between both parties with a view to further having an efficient service delivery through a seamless port operation across the board.

He called for improved collaboration with NPA in addressing the issue of unauthorised access to the ports especially as it concerns those with no legitimate businesses in the port.

Tsanni Amadi stated: “Permits should be issued to Registered Freight Forwarders as contained in the CRFFN Act, section 19 [1] to urgently avert any security breach in view of the volatility of the port axis and most especially unwarranted human traffic.”

While enumerating the various challenges facing the sport industry such as delays caused by the long dwelling time of cargo, traffic gridlock, and non-provision of empty containers holding bay by shipping companies, Tsanni Amadi requested NPA’s management to take a holistic approach to the charges slammed on Nigerian importers arising from shipping companies not having holding bays.

Also read: NPA hands over terminal B to Ocean & Cargo Services

Holding bays

He said the body has set up committees in line with relevant sections of the CRFFN Act which if harnessed with the management’s security division would bring sanity to ports operation and most meaningfully enhance revenue generation to the nation at large.

He further stated that the present CRFFN Executive which came on board in 2018 met an environment not conducive for port operations especially as it concerns the port infrastructure leading to the ports and its environs hence the need for a courtesy visit to impress on the management to redress the situation urgently.

Meanwhile, the NPA boss, also while hosting the visiting members of the NAGAFF in a courtesy visit to the corporate office led by its chairman, Chief Increase Uche, assured that government was very mindful of the need to meeting with international best practices through the ongoing Lekki Deep Seaport project. The port on completion is expected to accommodate bigger vessels, adding that it is at the breakwater point which is being handled by the China Harbour serving as partners to the project.

In his remark, Chief Uche stated that the association was readily available to participate in national development by contributing its quota in the area of policy formulation with the management of organisations in the nation’s maritime sector for the growth and development of the sector and to achieve operational efficiency and improved service delivery in line with international best practices.

The NAGAFF chairman had earlier solicited for the support of the management in the area of port infrastructure especially as it concerns roads leading to the ports and its environs which had drastically reduced the transfer of cargo out of the ports to the hinterland.

This according to him has had a negative influence on activities of its members doing business in the ports across the country.

vanguard