By Godfrey Bivbere

There are indications that the standard Operating Procedure, SOP, document developed for the effective governance of the Nigerian maritime industry has been abandoned due to lack of implementing agency.

Consequently the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NSC, has urged the Federal Government to make a prouncement on the lead agency for the implementation of the SOP document.

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This hint was dropped by the Executive Secretary of the Council, Hassan Bello, speaking through the Director, Regulatory Services, Celine Ifeora, at an anti-corruption workshop in Lagos.

He had noted that the SOP is a good document but expressed concern that the SOP has no sanctions, adding, “right now we do not know who is implementing it.

“The SOP is on ground, launched by the Vice President of the country, but who is implementing?

“One time we went into the port, l do not want to mention names, one of the terminal operators told us, this SOP is it Shippers Council working?

“So we need administrative backing and public pronouncement to show which agency is supposed to implement it. “A beautiful document, it is laying there with nobody to implement it.

“In fact, most of the things in the SOP we are already implementing because we at Shippers Council have been doing these things in the past but now that there is a document on ground; there is supposed to be a government agency driving it.

“The agency that will make a lot of noise about it and tell people that it is on ground and that if you default you will be sanctioned,” he noted.

Vanguard