By  Godwin Oritse
THE Nigerian Ports   Authority (NPA) has berated the management of the National Environmental Standards and Regulation,  Enforcement Agency (NESREA) over its involvement in the shipment of the toxic materials.

NPA in a statement accused the leadership of the agency in saying that the Ports authority aids and abets importation  of e-waste into the country.
NPA’s management stated that in as much as it does not want to join issues with NESREA or any agency of government, its operations are guided by laws and regulations.

It noted even if the NESREA Act allows it to detain vessels, it must be done by a court order, adding that vessels are instruments of international trade and must be treated as such.

Part of the statement reads”The management of the Nigerian Ports Authority will like to state that the powers of detentio, arrest and interdiction granted to NESREA by its enabling legislation cannot be automatically exercised without recourse to Judicial process.

“It cannot cause or initiate the detention of a vessel or its cargo without a warrant of arrest issued by the Federal High Court .
“The Nigerian Ports Authority in its operations, maintains strict compliance with law and laid down procedure, constitutionality, internationall best practice and conventions.

“The course of action NESREA expected NPA to have taken would have amounted to a disregard of these principles”.
Speaking on behalf of management Engr Tunde Izokun Assistant General Manager Safety, Fire and Occupational health said that NPA would not have bothered to react to the turn out of event regarding the vessel but because the Authority was accused of aiding and abetting the importation of toxic materials it had to put the record straight.

NPA’s management recalls that at a stakeholders’ meeting held in April this year and attended by all the security agencies including NESREA, it was agreed amongst other things that a joint inspection of such containers would be conducted on board the vessel in accordance with the Nigeria Customs procedure to verify the content of the suspected containers.

It was also agreed that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) would in accordance with its statutory and conventional responsibility carry out Port State inspection on the vessel.

“In the event that it was established that the vessel is laden with e-waste, the container will be left on board and vessel escorted out of Nigeria’s territorial waters.

“NESREA would then inform the relevant authorities in the country of origin that the vessel was sent back with the cargo on board for the purpose of monitoring her movement” the statement added.