The Nation Newspaper

Category: Maritime

  • Why smuggling persists, by Customs chief

    Smuggling seems to be without end. Aliyu Mohammed, the Comptroller of Customs in charge of Federal Operations Unit Zone A, Lagos, says activities of neighbouring countries are fueling smuggling. Mohammed, in this interview with  journalists, said education and sensitisation are key in tackling the menace. MUYIWA LUCAS was there.

    The Federal Operations Unit (FOU) Zone A is very strategic to the fight against infractions relating to importation. Can you give us an overview of your unit’s performance so far in 2019?

    Federal Operation Unit Zone ‘A’ operates in an area where almost 80 per cent of the total revenue generated by the Nigeria Customs Service is collected. The large area that we cover actually stresses our officers seriously because these are very hostile areas. Let me start with only Seme command where I was first posted before I came here. This is a place where I didn’t come across any smuggler; I only came across crosser and carriers. What I mean by crosser is people from Republic of Benin that cross the goods and handover to people on the Nigerian side.

    What we discover is that most of these  people are ignorant of what they are doing.   But  with dialogue and sensitisation, their activities will be reduced or suppressed. A boy I met and questioned on why he engaged in smuggling and not attending school like his counterparts, he retorted: “why should I go to school?  To graduate and start looking for job when my brother has crossed five bags of rice.  The next day, he crossed 10 bags. He was able to make money to buy a motorcycle. From motorcycle, he bought a car. Now, he has built a house.” This scenario  explains why smuggling is on the rise  but  we are engage in sensitisation to put things under control. That is why you  our officers are stressed.

    Can you give us figures of casualties from smuggling engagement between January and April?

    Between January to date, the casualty is very minimal because we strategise for our operations. I always tell our officers there are certain areas they must not apply force during operations. First, I tell them not to use force in the market, secondly they should be very careful while operating in the towns, and  thirdly whenever you see that the risk that may follow the operation is higher than the advantage, forget about the seizure. We respect human lives and try always to avoid danger to life when operating.

    When they have about 100 bags of rice  kept in bush and would take several lives to recover from the smugglers we normally strategise  to minimise casualties.This is  because the smugglers must pass through the road to bring the bags of rice to the market.  That is why you see that the causality we have is very minimal, not that we don’t have. Recently, we had an accidental discharge, but we were able to  properly control the situation. Aside that one, I don’t think we’ve had any causalities and we don’t pray for such.

    Do you feel frustrated that after you make so much seizures and your warehouses are full people still smuggle? 

    No I don’t. I feel happy to bring more and more. I joined Customs to do Customs job. I have  never associated myself with failure. I always associate myself with achievement. So I don’t mind if every day I can arrest 100 trailers as long as they come. I will continue to do it until they decide to stop it. At the same time, I urge Nigerians too to join in the fight because Customs alone cannot do it. Do you know how to assist? Why can’t we stop eating this foreign rice?

    Do you know most of this rice is rotten and expired? If you want to demonstrate go to Abakaliki and get their rice, go to Kebbi and get their rice, go to Kano and get rice, cook it, cover it and see in the morning, touch it and see which one will scatter. It is the foreign one with chemicals. Our local rice are genuine, you’ll see it very strong, nice and healthy.

    You see, the politics of rice in the world is something that whenever you look at it there is always this rush because they buy it very easily and and it is cheap there but once they bring it here, they sell it very high. Some of the bad rice are refined rice. if you come across a  rice go and get a coconut oil polish it, dry it and repackage it, that is what people are doing. So that is why sometime I say don’t mind the body mind the engine.

    There are very beautiful bags that are used to package the rotten rice and its injurious to health. Eighty percent of the foreign rice coming into Nigeria is like that. Imagine Benin where the so-called rice is coming from into Lagos, the common Benin person doesn’t eat them

    The whole of Benin is not even up to a (Nassarawa) Local Government in Kano State and when you go there, you see the number of rice coming into the country, they don’t eat the rice. What even surprised me is this, I will tell you this story. My former cook in Seme border during Christmas, I decided to give him two bags of rice for his family. Do you know that when he came out of my gate he sold them. I said don’t you have father and mother to celebrate the Christmas and he said ‘Oga we don’t eat this kind of rice in my country, only Nigeria’.

    Imagine my cook telling me as a Nigerian that he doesn’t eat that type of rice, so why can’t we do away with it? People said we cannot feed ourselves. I make bold to say, they are lying.  We can feed ourselves. If you want to see an example let me tell some people there is one brand of rice they cap rice . You get it in Kano. People do not know they only labelled it foreign rice or Thailand, do you know why they labell, nobody will buy it, but once they inscribe Thailand, people will rush it. If you doubt me, I will take you to Kano, there is a place they call  Kwanadawaji, you will see over 1000 trucks lined up waiting for evacuation of unprocessed rice to neighbouring countries. Most of those our warehouses are filled up with rice and people say we cannot feed ourselves. Okay if we cannot feed ourselves, go to see in a day how many trucks are going to Niger Republic from Nigeria with foods like rice, corn and others.

    There is this perception about the Customs Officer as unfriendly and an enemy of the people, particularly at the border communities. What do you have to say about this?

    As Customs officers, we not only work to protect the economy by collecting revenue, but also prevent  smuggling. We also protect lives of our people from being destroyed by these illicit importations you see. The Customs officer is at the frontline of preventing deaths of our citizens. Unfortunately, people see the Customs as a corrupt and group of bad people, not minding our selfless efforts at the risk of our lives. We prevent smuggling of arms and ammunition, drugs like prohibited dosage of tramadol and others. Whenever you see where they are beating Customs officers, people don’t even show care and affection towards us. They don’t want to save us from danger, but if one Customs officer kills a villager, they will want to burn the whole of that barrack. Where they  kill  three or five Customs officers, you cannot even see the story in the newspapers. I now ask, is Customs officer not a human being?

    You appear to be constantly at war with smugglers and they are not relenting. Why is it so?

    It is the kind of neighbours Nigeria has. They have a way of encouraging smuggling from their countries into Nigeria. I will give you examples with Benin Republic, which is closer to us here in Lagos. What we need to do is to tell ourselves the truth. Why is this rice coming? Who are the owners of this rice? You see it is just like a tree when you cut the branches it will grow but when you remove it completely from the root then it is over. Why is this rice coming from Benin? Is Benin above the law? The answer is No. Benin is a signatory to World Customs Organisation (WCO) agreements. Whenever you go there and make mention of transit goods you see how they will frown their faces or they just go out. The last meeting we had, one of their big men, when we talked of rice, he said my friend if rice is contraband in Nigeria, rice is not contraband in Benin. I said yes I know. But show me one Benin man who can afford 20,000 metric tonnes of rice who have the money to buy it and sell it in his country? I asked him again to show me one Benin man who can afford over 2000 units of 2019 model Prado at a go? The man just frowned because they don’t want to hear the word transit. What do I mean by transit good that came to a particular country and its not meant for that country’s use but for onward transition to another country. Customs job in the receiving country is to provide security escort so that they can go and handover to the other security in the actual destination country and bring in the landing certificate.

  • How to tackle gridlock, port congestion, by terminal chief

    Only a holistic approach to Apapa gridlock and port congestion will resolve the menace, Managing Director, APM Terminal (APMT), Martins Jacob has said.

    According to him, the major challenges are lack of access and, bad roads and the absence of an efficient traffic management system.

    He also said identifying and allowing only truckers with valid transactions into the port as well as monitoring and removing idling or broken down trucks from the roads were a challenge.

    “Poor state of trucks coming to the port, which makes it difficult to service them, cause a number of breakdowns affecting the terminal operations. Fatigue on the part of the drivers after the long wait on the port access road also has potential to cause accident leading to more gridlock,” he said.

    Jacob stressed that “absence of pre-advised information on container visit through the state to the quay” was also a major challenge that needed to be tackled. He explained that APMT’s clearance system was fully automated, adding that it only resorted to manual for only about two hours, some weeks ago when they had minor challenges.

    “Sometimes we stop transaction when the outbound traffic is not moving. APM Terminals is a company that designs, builds and operates port and terminal facilities. It also provides cargo inland services for cargo transportation between port facilities and inland locations, as well as other associated cargo handling functions,” he said.

    Jacob, who spoke while meeting with the Senate Committee on Works, assured the committee of his company’s cooperation with efforts aimed at solving the Apapa gridlock and congestion.

    He said that was why the firm welcomed the idea of using the Lilypond Terminal as a temporary holding bay for trucks, an initiative he noted was yielding positive results.

  • Don’t cut corners, Customs tells importers

    The Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has advised importers, freight forwarders and agents to comply with trade regulations or face the consequences.

    Its Area Controller, Mohammed Abba-Kura, said this while receiving the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) executives, who visited the command headquarters in Lagos.

    Abba-Kura, who read the riot act, said failure to comply with the regulations for cargo clearance would not be condoned. He said importers were expected to have requisite knowledge of documentation and clearance before venturing into importation.

    “I will encourage facilitation of legitimate trade. Legitimate trade where all means of regulations and certifications are duly complied with. We have seen some Nigerians along the line who would always want to have their way even when they have not done the right thing. If someone is coming to say he has a consignment that has not been cleared on time, we won’t attend to it if it is non compliant. As the documents come, I pass them to those who would work on them. We avoid delays of any kind,” he said.

    Abba-Kura continued: “But if there are issues that  need to be cleared, they must be cleared no matter what the owner may say. For example, if there is a documentation or clearance you need to get, if you don’t have it, you must get it for us to attend to it

    “Before you venture into anything, you must inquire what it requires. You cannot start a process and come to us and be on our neck that we must do it for you, that one will never be done. If they want to call it delays because of this, we have no apologies.”

    To achieve greater result, Abba-Kura assured that customs officers within the command, who distinguished themselves on their jobs, would be commended.

    His words: “Outstanding performances would be commended and such commendation could be sent to NCS headquarters for appropriate reward just as erring officers would be punished.

    “I will encourage my officers, who perform in the course of doing their jobs by giving them commendation letters. But on the contrary, whoever errs, I will not hesitate to punish. Outstanding performance will be rewarded not only in the command, we will escalate it to the headquarters. This will enable others get motivated,” he said.

  • Bayelsa, NIWA bicker over wreck removal

    Bayelsa State government and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) are quarrelling over the removal and disposal of wrecks on waterways.

    The government directed shipping operators in the state to take instructions from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) on scrapping and removal of ship wreck, but NIWA is contending that it is the sole authority on the matter.

    According to NIWA, while NIMASA covers the coastal waters, its jurisdiction covers the inland waterways, including rivers, creeks and lakes, thus giving it the sole responsibility to surveying, removing  and disposing of wrecks within the Inland waterways in the country.

    In a statement by NIWA management, the Authority described comments and announcement by the state government on the electronic media as misleading.

    The statement read: “The attention of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has been drawn to a recent announcement on radio and television credited to the Attorney-General of Bayelsa State, Mr. Arthur Andrew Seweni-owor, claiming that the Bayelsa State Ministry of Transport has the authorisation of NIMASA to function as receiver of wrecks within the Inland Waterways of Bayelsa State.

    “We hereby refute as follows: The act establishing NIWA, CAP 47 LFN 2004, particularly part II Section 9 (d), part iv Section 28 (2) empowers NIWA as the sole agency for survey, removal and disposal of wrecks within the Inland waterways in Nigeria.

    “That NIMASA’s jurisdiction does not conflict with that of NIWA. While NIMASA covers the coastal waters, NIWA’s jurisdiction covers the inland waterways, including rivers, creeks and lakes.

    “Consequently, any person or organisation involved in salvaging, cutting, scrapping or disposing of wrecks within the Inland waterways of Bayelsa State, and indeed Nigeria, is advised to obtain the necessary clearance from NIWA. Failure to do so may lead to severe sanctions.”

  • APM Terminals Nigeria gets New Managing Director

    APM Terminals Nigeria has announced the appointment of a new Managing Director that will oversee the firm’s operations in Nigeria and some West African countries. He is Alhaji Mohammed Ahmed.

    In this capacity, Ahmed will oversee the operations of the company in Nigeria, Benin Republic and Ivory Coast.

    The new APM Terminals Managing Director is an experienced leader with a demonstrated history of delivering strong financial results in shipping, logistics, maritime, ports, towage, light-offshore and oil & gas services across a number of markets and industries spanning Africa, Asia, Middle East and Europe.

    “I am delighted to be back in Nigeria to contribute my quota to the development of this great country. Nigeria is a huge market with a great potential for growth.

    “We will work with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other government agencies to reposition Nigerian ports for optimum performance and ensure efficiency and prompt service delivery to customers.

    “We are also committed to supporting the Federal Government’s export drive to diversify the nation’s revenue base and reduce overdependence on oil,” Ahmed said.

    Ahmed holds a BSc in Economics & Social Policy, Birkbeck, University of London and brings about two decades experience into his new role.

    Prior to his recent appointment, Ahmed served as the Managing Director of Svitzer for Asia, Middle East, Africa and Russia (AMEA) from January 2016 to December 2018, where he supervised the operation of a modern fleet of 90 vessels operated by over 1,200 professional crew and onshore staff. He also had full responsibilities for managing the company’s operations in India, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, U.A.E, Sohar (Oman), Muscat (Oman), Angola, Egypt, Morocco and Russia, serving oil and gas majors and port operators.

    Ahmed had earlier served in Nigeria as General Manager, Commercial Planning from 2008 to 2010 where he had responsibility for trade strategy, performance management, capacity, market intelligence, and business development, among others, in Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Niger and Togo.

    APM Terminals operates one of the world’s most comprehensive port and integrated inland service networks. With a team of 22,000 industry professionals, it operates a network of 76 ports and over 100 inland services locations across the globe. The company leverages more than a century of industry experience to design and build high-quality container terminals, and provide port and inland services for cargo handling and transportation between port facilities and inland locations.

  • Kudos for APMT on safety record

    Stakeholders have praised APM Terminals for maintaining an excellent safety record in its operation at the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa.

    The commendation came at the commemoration of the 2019 Global Safety Day with the theme ‘Safety Differently – Learning from the way we work,’ last week.

    The stakeholders, who included representatives of truckers’ union, shipping lines and licensed customs agents, noted that APM Terminals recorded zero fatality in more than four years.

    Speaking at the event, its Managing Director, Mr. Martin Jacob, thanked the workers for living up to their safety responsibilities and upholding their commitment to safety as their licence to operate.

    He also commended the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for its commitment to a safe port environment, especially at APM Terminals Apapa, with modern firefighting equipment made available for safety and fire drills, which contributed to excellent safety records at the terminals.

    Jacob said this year’s Global Safety Day theme was about continuous listening to and learning from the workforce when it comes to safety to contribute to safe and successful work outcomes.

    He explained that APMT’s continuous effort at improving safety at the workplace is yielding the desired results, stating that the company is committed to ensuring not just the safety of its assets but the safety of its employees, customers, contractors and visitors at the facility daily.

    The Managing Director of PIL Nigeria Limited, Mr. Jack Landgrishe, the Managing Director of Lansal Limited, Mr. Francoius Joseph Ossude and the Commercial Director of Maersk Nigeria Limited, Mr. Richard Smith, who were at the event, showered encomiums on Athe firm for ensuring the safety of lives and cargo at the port.

    The Chairman, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi, also commended APM Terminals for maintaining a high level of safety over the years and for recognising the role of truck drivers in promoting safety at the port.

    While presenting awards to Mr. Abdullahi Kazeem, an external truck driver, and some employees of APM Terminals Apapa in recognition of their roles in promoting safe practices within the terminal, Jacob said, “APM Terminals Apapa will continue to constantly engage and train truck drivers on the importance of safety within the terminal and on the roads, which ultimately results in savings from insurance premiums.”

    The event also featured a safety drill by the Emergency Response Team of port concessionaire and the Fire Service Unit of Nigerian Ports Authority. The drill involved the deployment of firefighting equipment and skills to demonstrate how to combat fire on a container at the quayside.

  • ‘Only insincere agents, importers fear Customs Strike Force’

    Should the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Strike Force be at the ports? No, say licensed freight forwarders. But the Strike Force’s coordinator, Deputy Comptroller of Customs Abdullahi Dahiru Kirawa, disagrees, saying his team’s presence at the ports should not worry clean importers and clearing agents. In this chat with reporters in Lagos, he says his team is committed to trade facilitation, prevention of smuggling and revenue recovery. MUYIWA LUCAS was there.

    What is the Strike Force about and what are your duties?

    The Strike Force Team is formed by the management of the Nigeria Customs Service headed by the Comptroller General  of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd) as a team that will be the third layer of defence in terms of Customs operation after the Area Command and the Federal Operations Unit respectively. It is charged with the responsibility of ensuring that there is compliance with laid down rules, regulations and ensure extant procedures are properly followed in all Customs operations and that the primary objective and mandate of the Service in terms of revenue generation and the facilitation of legitimate trade. This is in addition to ensuring that the suppression of smuggling to the barest minimum is achieved. The role of the Strike Force Team with that of the Federal Operations Unit is complementary to that of the Area Commands. We are to synergise, collaborate and cooperate  to achieve the goals set by government for the Service. One of the key functions of the service is revenue generation and facilitation of legitimate trade. That said, the strike force team is there to ensure compliance to rules. Therefore, the strike force team as a body is to ensure that this thing is done or enforced to the letter and to ensure that encumbrances in terms of checkpoints within the hinterland and other things that will prevent the smooth movement of goods and services is not misconstrued by any Area Command within the hinterland and even within the border area. That means we are to enforce and ensure facilitation of legitimate trade.

    Some licensed customs agents and importers are worried over your operation at the ports as part of the Customs team physically examining cargoes. Don’t you think you have become the problem rather than the solution?

    Only those that have skeletons in their cupboards have reasons to fear. The strike force team is to ensure that all those that are compliant with the stated rules in our statutes books have no itch at all in their operations. The team has been and will continue to make our processes faster and easier for persons and companies that make sincere declarations and pay correct customs duties to government. Those who make insincere declarations with intentions to cut corners and short-change government by not paying correct amount of duty, will have us to contend with.

    Last year, the Strike Force made a seizure of duty paid value of about N17b and collection of duty of over N1b. Can we have an overview of what you achieved between January and last month on duty collection?

    We have gone further than that. Within the first four months of this year, January to April, we have collected close to a billion naira as revenue that could have been lost. I tell you confidently that from January till date we have realised N788,338,072 from Demand Notice (DN) issued in Zone A alone. When I say Zone A, I mean the South West area only. We have made several hundreds of seizures from various commands that include containers from various ports and also contraband goods across the border areas.

    How do you detect infractions; is it via intelligence or you are connected to the system?

    Certainly the strike force team operations are mainly intelligence and technology driven. We do not operate in isolation. We operate with due diligence and cooperation within the various units of the service, more especially the Customs Intelligence Unit (CIU) that provide us with credible intelligence that leads to some of the seizures we have been able to make. Furthermore, the effort of the Commanders and various officers and men of the strike force team go a long way in sourcing information from credible sources from various individuals and good Samaritans that we have been able to use this intelligence to achieve our results and the results are there for everybody to see. Therefore, I will want to enjoin the members of the public and our fellow colleagues that are privileged to having certain credible information to avail us with them so that together, collectively we will achieve the goal set for us by the Service. It is a collective responsibility not only for the strike force team, but for anybody that is concerned or related with Customs operations like the stakeholders, clearing agents, importers and exporters; all those that are connected with maritime business are always welcome. Our doors are opened so that together we will save this country in terms of security and safeguarding the economy through suppression of smuggling and ensuring that there is compliance with laid down rules and policies of government so that it will be better for everybody.

    From your assessment do you think the Eastern Ports are more compliant than the Western Ports because it appears more that most of the infractions are from the Western Ports?

    It might not be so, remember there are more ports in the Western part of the country than the Eastern part. With the volume of trade in the western ports therefore, one should expect more of these activities from this section of the ports zone, than the eastern zone because there are more activities going on here than there.

  • Unions cry out over expatriate domination of jobs

    Indigenous seafarers under the aegis of the Nigerian Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association and the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) have decried the replacement of indigenous sailors with foreigners on Nigerian waters.

    The Unions regrets that five months after it transmitted a letter to the  Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), urging the regulator to address the issue promptly, and also seeking audience with the body, no response has been received.

    In the letter to NIMASA dated December 18, 2018, the unions recounted how 300 Nigerian crew members were sacked and replaced on vessels at a project at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos with some Chinese.

    “We (Nigeria Merchant Navy Officers and Water Transport Senior Staff Association (NMNOWTSSA) and Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN)) as a matter of urgency, wish to meet with you on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 to discuss the following burning issues as they affect the maritime sector and proffer solutions (Way forward)’’.

    The letter, which sought for a meeting with NIMASA management, noted that the influx of “Chinese Seafarers” into the nation’s maritime industry is not in conformity with the nation’s Cabotage Act 2003.

    Regrettably, the unions in a letter signed by their secretaries- Julius Efokpor and Felix Akingboye,  noted that the presence of the Chinese nationals on Nigerian waters send a wrong signal to international community.

    “All Nigerians on board the HYSY698 were sacked as we are also informed that the vessel HYSY698 managers said they did not need any Nigerian to work with them. The vessel was detained by NIMASA for failing to comply with the manning requirement of the Cabotage law and was later released after three days which is not acceptable. Please, we are open for meeting.

    “The vessels are already at the worksite to commence operation soon. We were informed that the owners and agents of the vessels refused to work with Nigerians on board, rather  they already have full crew of Chinese Seafarers- from the Master of the vessels to the least man onboard”.

    The unions further alleged that: “Information at our disposal reveals that the Dangote Refinery Project at Lekki, Lagos shall be deploying two AHTS and lay barge for its use. The vessels will be used for installation of Pipelines, SBM and etc. The AHTS have minimum crew compliment of 22 each and the Lay Barge Is to carry 200 staff strength onboard. With their back to back, the total work force would be 500 personnel approximately and the duration of the contract is two years plus. The Management Company for the vessel is Anglo Eastern Ship Management and owners of the vessel are CCCEC China,” the letter read.

    As at the time of going to press, NIMASA’s head of Corporate Communications, Isiche Osamgbi, was yet to respond to calls made to his mobile number.

  • How Lekki Port will boost economy

    With the financial muscle of the China Development Bank (CDB) behind it, the Lekki Port in Lagos is set for smooth sailing. When completed, an estimated 170,000 direct and indirect jobs will be created there. Besides, about $361 billion will be realised during the 45-year concession, including over $201 billion in taxes to the Federal and state governments, writes MUYIWA LUCAS.

    The Lekki Deep Sea Port in Lagos Free Trade Zone on completion will boost the nation’s maritime trade in addition to lifting its ranking in port development globally. It will also provide an estimated 170,000 direct and indirect jobs beside helping to boost the Gross Domestice Product (GDP).

    With the huge economic potential of the port, which will be among the top ports on the continent, the future of maritime in Nigeria is rosy. The port will host three container berths, one dry bulk berth and three liquid berths with a draught of 16.5 metres that will take larger vessels.

    Lekki port will boost the nation’s port system, which lags behind the likes of Singapore, which ranks as one of the world’s leading maritime capitals with seven per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from maritime, and South Africa, which has a port system comparable to those of developed economies in sophistication, regulation and technology; hence the widespread inefficiencies in the region.

    Nigerian ports are rated among the most expensive in the world in terms of doing business. This is due to  a combination of several factors, including poor infrastructure, inefficiency and corruption. The Lekki port on completion will change the narrative of Nigerian maritime.

    Stakeholders have, over the years, insisted that the sector has remained largely untapped, pegging the potential from the sector at less than five per cent. Though there has been several attempts to rejuvenate the sector by successive administrations to meet global standard, the industry is still faced with  many challenges, which include inadequate financing, deficit in maritime/port infrastructure, inefficiencies in terminal operations, lack of transparency and sharp practices. In the whole sector, the ports remain the biggest goldmine that can impact greatly on the economy.

    Realising these inadequacies and determined to make a change, the Federal Government, in 2000, came out with policies that led to far-reaching reforms in the sector. These policies were rooted in the  economic objectives of opening up space to increase the participation of private investment and initiative in the economy, thereby promoting a public-private sector-led economic growth.

    As the economy continues to grow, trade volumes rose and the dependency of the economy on the ports, especially the Lagos ports of Apapa and Tin Can Island, which accounts for 85 percent of cargo traffic, became too heavy.

    This led to the idea of a plan that would see to the development of Greenfield ports along Nigeria’s 853 kilometre coastline to match the country’s trade demand. One of these is the development of a deep seaport in Lekki-Epe area of Lagos State, known as Lekki Port.

    Under the arrangement, an International Consortium-Lekki Port Investment Holding Inc. (Tolaram Group) holds a 75 per cent equity, while the Federal Government through Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Lagos State Government, shares the remaining equity at five and 20 per cent.

    The project, being executed on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis, under a 45-year concession, has the NPA as its port regulator. This arrangement, stakeholders say, will ensure that adequate legal and regulatory framework, as well as incentives, would be put in place in line with the concession agreement to avoid inconsistency and policy shifts.

    The Lagos State Government has reiterated its commitment to play a key role in facilitating the ancillary works vital to the success of the port, such as enhancement of road infrastructure connections to the hinterland. With this, the chaotic situation in the Lagos ports, which has led to huge delays in clearing of goods from the ports and the parlous state of the port roads along the axis, will not be repeated in the Lekki Port.

    According to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Lekki Port Investment Holding Inc., Binay Saraf, one of the unique features of the new facility, is that it would cover a large area, close to 90 hectares, within the Lagos Free Trade Zone.

    Besides, it will have a draught capacity of 16.5 metres. With this, the country will be able to accommodate and berth the biggest vessels, which is impossible at the moment, due to draught constraints. At 12.5metres, Apapa port has the deepest draught in the country and Cotonu port, in the Republic of Benin, has 16m- draught capacity.

    Saraf further revealed that the facility would be equipped with the latest super Post-Panamax Ship-to- Shore cranes and RTG cranes, which ensures it will be a modern efficient facility. These infrastructure will guarantee that the initial target of 1.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) container capacity yearly,  expected to hit 4.7 million TEUs, will make Lekki Port the hub destination for many shipping lines in the West African markets, which will combine their destination calls to Nigeria with transshipments.

    With these, Saraf is convinced that Lekki Port is positioned to serve as the gateway for the country and the surrounding West African region because the port will offer an opportunity to enter the rapidly- growing market and boosting the neighbouring economy.

    Saraf further explained that the development of the Lekki Port would be in phases to meet the burgeoning trade coming from within and outside the country. “It is estimated that about 170,000 direct and indirect jobs will be generating approximately $361 billion during the concession, including over $201 billion in tax revenue to both the state and Federal governments,” he revealed.

    A key feature of modern port is a world-class container terminal. To this end, Lekki Port has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with CMA CGM Group, a world leader in maritime transport, to operate its container terminal.

    As the container terminal operator, CMA CGM, through its subsidiary CMA Terminals, will be responsible for marketing, operations and maintenance of the container terminal.  He said with the latest technology in container’s screening and processing, the port will deliver smooth and efficient movement of goods to and from the site once the commercial activities begin in 2020 to ensure clearing of goods within 48 hours.

    Determined to deliver a world-class port facility, the promoter has also engaged two global companies, China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC) and The Louis Berger Group. While CHEC, the engineering and construction arm of China Construction and Communication Company, was appointed as the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor, The Louis Berger Group, United States, one of the largest multi-disciplinary infrastructure consulting firm in the world, was hired as the  project’s management consultant. Notably, China Harbour would soon have equity participation in the project, with a certain percentage to be infused soon.

    “It is interesting to note that since the project berthed, the Federal Government has found it worthy to share in the success story. In several fora, it has continued to list the project as one that is in line with its Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP), emphasising that it supports game-changing infrastructure projects directed at making an impact on trade and commerce in the country,” Saraf said.

    At the flag-off of the project last year, President Muhammadu Buhari, represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, declared the Federal Government’s commitment to its success, noting its enormous economic benefits. And in line with this, the Federal Government recently directed the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), through the Federal Ministry of Transportation, to link all the  seaports, including Lekki Port, to railway as possible shortest.

    Upon the completion of Lekki Deep Sea project, Nigeria can stand shoulder high in the league of globally respected maritime capitals.

  • ‘All concessioned port terminals are ISPS compliant’

    The Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) has said the concessioned port terminals have complied with the International Ships & Ports Facility Security (ISPS) Code.

    The ISPS Code, being implemented under the auspices of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), is an amendment to the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Convention (1974/1988) on minimum security arrangements for ships, ports and government agencies.

    The ISPS Code, which came into force in 2004, prescribes responsibilities for governments, shipping firms, shipboard and port/facility personnel to detect security threats and take preventive measures against them.

    STOAN spokesman Mr. Bolaji Akinola, in a statement, affirmed that private terminal operators have provided adequate security in their areas in compliance with the ISPS Code.

    “The ISPS Code is an essential maritime regulation for the safety and security of ships, ports, cargo and crew. For this reason, all private terminal operators in the six major port complexes across the country do not take the responsibilities of ensuring adequate compliance to the provisions of the code lightly. We have made, and will continue to make, significant financial investments towards ensuring that every operational area assigned to us in the ports are well secured,” Akinola said.

    He commended the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Designated Authority (DA) for the implementation of the ISPS Code and working with terminal operators to ensure the ports remain compliant to international port security.

    Akinola appealed to the Federal Government to strengthen the Marine Police to patrol the port waterfronts to keep intruders at bay.

    Commending NPA and the Nigerian Navy easing the gridlock on port access roads in Lagos, he appealed to the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to hasten repairs on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the Ijora-Wharf Road to ease the pains of port workers, users and truck drivers.

    “The gridlock persists and there is need for a more drastic action on the part of the Federal Government to address the problem. We must reiterate the imperatives of good access roads, functional rail network and truck parks as necessary long term solutions to the gridlock  in and around the port area,” Akinola added.