· Urge FG to fix port access roads, set-up single window
By Kenneth Jukpor
One year after the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo issued an executive order on transparency and improving the business environment in Nigeria, stakeholders in the nation’s port sector have scrutinized the policy, stating the initiative hasn’t yielded the desired results.
Veterans from various parts of the nation’s maritime and business domain made this deduction when they gathered at a recent stakeholders’ summit on the 2nd annual lecture & awards with the theme; “the Gains and Challenges of the Presidential Order on Ease of Doing Business in the Nigerian maritime sector one year after”, organized by Primetime Reporters online newspaper in Lagos.
Stakeholders agreed that the major problems affecting the nation’s maritime sector include; the poor state of port access roads; the multiplicity of challenges hindering 24-hour port operations such as the non-availability of some key government officials to effectively carry out their duties and responsibilities and the fact that importers/clearing agents do not work 24 hours for security reasons.
Another problem highlighted at the summit was single window operations, which is not yet operational despite the fact that Nigeria started the project before Ghana. Other identified challenges affecting the maritime sub-sector as contained the the communique from the meeting are;
1. The issue of physical examination of goods at our ports is also a major challenge as it encourages sharp practice and delay in doing business.
2. That frequent breakdown and malfunctioning of scanners also delay the evacuation of goods from the ports.
3. The too many documentations associated with export process is said to be affecting the export business in the country.
4. The mounting of unapproved road blocks and harassment of cargo, truckers out of our various ports by Customs Officials such as the x-squad, CG Task Force, FOU and other security agents is also a major challenge to trade facilitation; as such check-points have increased tremendously
5. The alarming high cost of doing business in our various seaports as a backlash, as it encourages inflation of goods and services as well as encourages unemployment as most shippers divert their goods to the ports of neighbouring countries.
6. Negative government policies, such as higher tariffs with specific mention of the auto policy has encouraged sharp practice among both government officials and stakeholders, encourage smuggling of vehicles as well as a drastic reduction of government revenue.
7. That the management of the Nigerian customs Service (NCS) emphasis on revenue drive, to the detriment of trade facilitation, has done more damage to the Nigerian economy, despite the World Trade Organization (WTO) advice on trade facilitation for growth.
8. And that the delay in the release of raw materials and other means of production from our ports has affected the manufacturing sector as well as increase job losses and created more bad loans among business men.
9. Inconsistence government policies as well as lack of business ethics, as offenders smile to the bank while genuine business men lament due to lack of effective sanction in our business process.
10. The non-consultation of key maritime stakeholder before policies are adopted by policy makers has led to frequent policy summersault and policy failure.
11. Bureaucracy and poor remuneration among government officials has encouraged sharp practice in the entire maritime industry.
12. Lack of adequate data policy has led to failed policy implementation and evaluation.
13. Non-availability of functional trucking bay or parks for our haulage trucks has created the gridlock in Apapa and its environs.
14. The proliferation of tank farms in Apapa and its environs is another major challenge as it encourages the lock down of business activities within and around Apapa and its environs.
Proffering the headway for the industry, the experts admonished the Federal Government to establish a policy on single window, noting that the clearing of goods should be fully implemented to discourage physical examination of cargo.
On the issue of insecurity at the ports, the group called on the government to step up its security across the various seaports in the country to encourage 24-hours seaport operation; while government agents operating at the seaports should also be reduced as the entire world is said to be embarking on technological advancement.
Other recommendations at the summit include;
(1) That the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) should task the contractor handling the 2 kilometers Apapa port access road to speed up the construction.
(2) That the Management of The Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) should be more interested in trade facilitation instead of raking in higher revenue.
(3) That goods should be examined electronically that is with the aid of scanners as it would speed up the process of cargo evacuation and reduce sharp practice.
(4) Government should also speed up the parking bay being constructed in Tincan Island port and set up other trucking bays to reduce the gridlock in Apapa.
(5) Key stakeholders in the maritime sector should be consulted before important policies and laws are being formulated, to avoid weak and poor policy implementation.
(6) Government should strengthen their various institutions and agencies so that they can effectively control, sanction and reward stakeholders who may breach such ethics.
(7) The remuneration and working condition of all government officials should be improved, to drastically reduce sharp practice among such officials.
(8) Government should also develop seaports in other parts of the country, to encourage business activities in these areas.
(9) The continue harassment of cargo and trucks already cleared from the various seaports by customs and other security officials should stop with immediate effect.
(10) The government automobile policy with regard to increase in tariffs to about 70% on the importation of vehicles should be amended to discourage smuggling and sharp practices.
(11) The documentation process with regards to exportation should be made simple so as to encourage export of our local produce.
(12) Importers and clearing agents should practice good ethical standards by ensuring full compliance of government regulations in terms of proper declaration and full duty payment rather than engaging in sharp practices.
(13) Organized private sector should support the PEBEC by sharing feedback and complaints (Name and shame) about any MDA hindering the smooth flow of cargo clearance at the ports through www.PEBEC.report.
The stakeholders maintained that these measures, if employed and implemented religiously, the executive order on ease of doing business in the nation’s maritime industry will witness a huge leap thereby repositioning the maritime sector in Nigeria for better performance which will in turn translate into more businesses as well as higher revenue for the Federal Government and for Nigerians.
Recall that the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday May 18, 2017 signed an executive order on transparency and improving the business environment in Nigeria. The executive order (EO1) contained far-reaching measures with direct benefits for Nigerian businesses as a proof of the Federal Government’s commitment and determination to ease the business environment. The executive order has five main planks, namely; transparency, default approvals, one government, entry experience of travelers and visitors and ports operations.
Speaking MMS Plus on the sidelines, the Managing Director of Primetime Reporters, Mr. Augustine Nwadinamuo said as part of its constitutionally assigned duty as the fourth estate of the realm and as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR), Primetime Reporters in its 2nd Annual Lecture and Awards chose to bring the ‘ease of doing business’ to the fore for an unbiased and independent assessment of the order, with the intent of fine-tuning it for a better result.
On hand to deliver the lecture was the Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Muda Yusuf while a representative of Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES), Mr. Jude Oboh provided insight into what the Secretariat was doing to improve ease of doing business at the Ports.
The former National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Eugene Nweke was the Chairman of the occasion while the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Barr. Hassan Bello was represented by Miss Adaora Nwonu and the Commissioner of Police, Western Ports of the Ports Authority Police Command was also represented by DCP Gbola Adeyemi as well as the Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Ferry, Hon. Paul Kalejaiye.
Also present at the lecture were members of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) led by its National President, Hon. Tony Iju Nwabunike, members of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Members of the Association of Tourist Boat Operators of Nigeria (ATBOWATN), National Association of Stevedoring Companies led by its National President, Mr. Bolaji Sunmola, Dredgers Association of Nigeria, NARTO, RTEAN, JCOST, Shippers’ Association Lagos, Maritime Lawyers led by Barr. Emeka Akabogu and Barr. Jean Chiazor Anishere, the Academia and Media.
Although the executive order has six planks as earlier said, the lecture dwelt on the last plank which is the port operations. The event also had an award segment where several notable maritime operators fetched awards for their contribution to the growth of the industry.
