Bello-Koko: Expressing Sustainability In Blue Economy

The act of paying unscheduled visits to monitor environments and project sites is a demonstration of good leadership and could further be expressed in the concept of sustainability which essentially is anchored on four pillars of people, environment, profit and social capital. All these are woven around the idea that humans must interact with one another in a way that ensures that enough resources is left for future generation.

 As people exploits the planet’s resources, it must be done with caution to protect lives, the environment, make profit but with human face and assurances of regeneration and empowerment. The Blue Economy does not seek anything less but more preoccupied with aquatic ecosystem yet with diversity and preservation as focus.

So, Mohammed Bello-Koko’s continual unscheduled visits to the ports environment resonates with the pillars of sustainable development as enunciated by the United Nations and pigeon-holed in the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) ideals     

 The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr. Mohammed Bello Koko, over the weekend in Lagos, issued a stern warning against the illegal stripping of containers along the port access road, stressing that the Authority will deal decisively with perpetrators of the unwholesome practice.

The NPA boss stated this when he paid an unscheduled visit to Tincan Island Port where he inspected designated container stripping yards and the port access roads to ensure trucks are not loitering.

Specifically, he warned that truckers caught in the act stand the risk of being delisted from the Electronic Call-up System (eto) platform managed by the Truck Transit Park (TTP) limited.

In the course of visit, Koko announced that the NPA has rolled out Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for barge operators, adding the SOP will serve as a guideline to all operators.

Speaking further on concerns surrounding container stripping also known as *devanning*, Bello Koko emphasized that stripping constitutes a menace when undertaken outside designated yards, as it provides a platform for trucks loitering around the ports access roads which results in traffic disruptions and attendant chaos. 

He said the NPA will intensify its vigilance and monitoring to nip the negative trend in the bud.

Addressing the scarcity in some of the stripping yards, the Managing Director acknowledged the impact of global economic upheavals on cargo flow and reiterated that low business downturn cannot constitute a justification for illegality. 

He revealed that proposals for well-equipped stripping yards, referred to as devanning yards are receiving accelerated attention, signaling a shift from illegal roadside stripping.

Regarding sustainability of the measures, he informed that the NPA has collaborated with other government agencies and the Lagos state government to ensure that such unhealthy practices no longer take place along the port access road 

The Managing Director also stated that such unannounced spot visits would become more frequent and will be followed by regular stakeholder engagements to continuously improve the seamless operations of the eto platform. 

He also warned that stripping yards that violate the operational rules will face temporal shutdowns for first time offenders, and the possibility of non-renewal of land leases for recalcitrant offenders. 

He noted that these stringent measures are geared towards maintaining orderliness and safety within the port environment.