By Eguono Odjegba

National Coordinator of the Port Standing Task Team, PSTT, Moses Fadipe, has said that transparent and efficient port system is a catalyst to sustained foreign investments, which has the prospect of deepening the port industry, in addition to enhancing the nation’s revenue generation system.

Fadipe who was speaking at a 2-Day Training Retreat organised by the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) at the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) in Topo, Badagry, hinted that the PSTT has been empowered to bark and bite, noting that the team has the power to arrest, prosecute and sanction defaulting stakeholders who fail to comply with the operational guidelines in the nation’s ports.

The PSTT Coordinator while presenting his paper titled, “Port Standing Task Team’s Relationship with Government Agencies in Tackling Corruption at the Ports”, explained that the team’s role is to improve transparency, enhance revenue generation and tackle corruption, in order to encourage local businesses and foreign investments, alike.

He further explained that, the PSTT collaborates with, and monitors the activities of all relevant government agencies and other key players in the port to ensure that they carry out their mandate as according to the laws establishing them.

“The PSTT is responsible for the enforcement of the provisions of the Nigerian Port Process Manual, NPPM, which includes the implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures, SOPs, for all port-related activities.

“The PSTT ensures that all government agencies and private sector operators comply with the NPPM, thereby improving the ease of doing business at the ports. The PSTT also carries out necessary anti-corruption measures to dismantle traffic logjams fueling corruption within the port logistics rings at the Western and Eastern ports of the country’’.