The Nation Newspaper

Category: Maritime

  • Repositioning Warri port

    Repositioning Warri port

    The visit of the Chairman, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Emmanuel Olajide Adesoye, and Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman to the Warri Port, has revealed how the past management of the authority shirked its core responsibilities, reports Maritime Correspondent OLUWAKEMI DAUDA

    Members of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Board were at the Warri Port last week on assessment with a view to transforming it into a world-class entity.

    They were shocked at the level of decay of the once-vibrant port.

    Board Chairman Mr Emmanuel Olajide Adesoye and NPA Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman said they were not happy with the poor state of the port and promised to make it contrubute meaningfully to national economy.

    The Warri port serves Edo, Delta, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), among others.

    Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum jointly addressed by Adesoye and Usman, the operators told them that the past management of the authority failed to provide some essential tools to make the port viable.

    The duo allayed the fear of the operators that the port would be abandoned and assured them of their determination to boost its operations.

    A senior official of one of the terminals at the port,  who craved anonymity, said the authority has a lot of job to do in terms of port development and revenue generation.

    He said NPA could generate over N300 billion yearly,  from the sea ports, if the challenges facing the ports were addressed.

    He accused the past management of the authority of “ineptitude, eye service, poor maintenance culture”, urging the new team to address the problems.

    Apart from the Lagos ports, he alleged that ports in other states were working below capacity because of neglect, urging the NPA to focus on Calabar, Warri and others because of their importance to the nation.

    NPA, investigation revealed, generated over $607 million and N8.9 billion from Warri pilotage district between 2007 and last August, and collected over $123 million and N5.5 billion asdues within the period.

    Some of the challenges identified by the operators that need immediate attention include:

     

    Escravos breakwater

     

    The breakwater at Escravos  has been submerged and needs attention.

    “There are no more buffers between the ocean and the river channel. Sediments have silted the entrance of the port, thereby restricting the movement of vessels to a maximum draft of five-metre datum as against seven-metre datum at highest tide,” the operator said.

    More than 15 vessels have gone underground at the Escravos entrance from June to date because NPA has no equipment to carry out its core fuctions at ports.

     

    Buoys

     

    Findings also revealed that the buoys that were supposed to be navigable aids to ships are absent at the channel from the fairway buoy to the ports of Warri, Sapele and Koko and this has led to the frequent grounding of vessels along the channel.

    Operators said there was the need for the reinstallation of the missing buoys by the NPA to reposition the port and generate more revenue to the government.

     

    Pilot Cutters

     

    There is no functional pilot cutters at the Warri Sapele Pilot District.   Agents and other operators are worried over the situation.

    Investigation also revealed that since 2006, shipping firms at the port have been paying for crafts to convey NPA’s river and harbour pilots to and fro Escravos and Bennett Island.  Operators have been demanding a refund because the charge amounted to double payment as  the NPA had already billed them for the service.

    Comrade Musa Doma said NPA had no means of conveying its pilots from their point of primary assignment, urging the new management to address the issue.

     

    Tug boats

     

    NPA has no working tug boat at the port, a problem which has led to serious exploitation by some individuals.

    The tug boats, operators said, are essential in the berthing and un-berthing of vessels at the port.  It is an IMO mandatory requirement.

    Sources also said NPA has no vehicle to convey its pilots at the port by road to outer ports of Sapele, Oghara and Koko, despite the billions of naira generated from the ports yearly.

     

    Mooring and unmooring

     

    Mooring and unmooring are the statutory responsibility of the NPA. But operators alleged that its past management ceded it to the host communities, adding that the services were being paid for by shipping agents.

     

    Disruption of pilotage

    services

     

    Findings revealed that river pilot contractors frequently disrupt pilotage services at the ports, based on non- payment of their wages for services rendered to NPA. Their service is essential to quick turnaround time of vessels. The disruption, it was learnt, leads to payment of demurrage.

    These issues, the FMoT official said, are germane to the revitalisation of the ports. “There is also need for the dredging and refurbishment of the breakwater in Delta port to attract bigger vessels and generate more revenue to the government. The port is, however, lying fallow and underutilised based on the failure of the past management of NPA.,” he said

  • NPA, firm sign MoU

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has signed a Memorandum of  Understanding (MoU) with the BudgiT Information Technology Network.

    The MoU was signed at the weekend. It will assist the NPA in promoting transparency and accountability in its operations.

    NPA ‘s Managing Director Ms Hadiza Balla Usman said the partnership became necessary for the development of an open budget system and implementation of a public data dissemination programme that would help the agency blocki revenue leakages.

    BudgiT has achieved feats in the space of socio-technological advocacy to open up public budgets for citizens’ comprehension.

    BudgiT started operation in 2011. With the MoU, NPA would be able to deliver on its mandate.

    The partnership will also assist NPA to  effectively manage its 24 terminals.

    The deal will instil a framework for transparent budget provisions for NPA, allow stakeholders to add their input, encourage participatory governance through  feedbacks, and create an enabling environment for foreign investment.

    “The collaboration will ensure key researches, industry policies and innovations are effectively communicated. It will also ensure that critical data are generated and made accessible for policy makers, private sector actors, stakeholders and the general public,” sources said.

  • Ship owners urge Amaechi, Peterside to make cabotage fund public

    Ship owners urge Amaechi, Peterside to make cabotage fund public

    BY how much has the N60 billion Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) kept with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) grown?

    This is the poser indigenous ship- owners and others who attended the World Maritime Day, organised by the Ministry of Transportation, want the Minister of Transport (MoT), Mr Rotimi Amaechi, and NIMASA Director-General  Dr Dakuku Peterside, to answer.

    The CVFF was created by the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act 2003 to promote indigenous ship acquisition.

    Section 42 Part VIII of the Act empowers NIMASA to collect and administer the fund, under the minister’s guidance after approval by the National Assembly.

    The ship owners and stakeholders  alleged that part of the N60 billon fund had been spent without any   development in the industry.

    Besides the MoT, nobody knows the amount NIMASA has collected  since its inception.

    The fund, they said, was established 12 years ago to boost local content.

    Counsel to a shipping firm, Mr Dipo Alaka, said the call became necessary, following the arraignment of former Director-General NIMASA Patrick Akpobolokemi, by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Alake claimed that the CVFF has grown to millions of dollars without any shipping firm benefiting from it.

    Most contributors, he said, did not know the actual amount in NIMASA’s care, adding that it was time the minister and the agency declared the amount since it is just a collector of the fund.

    Alaka said his clients were sad that they did not benefit from the fund.

    A maritime bank, he said, would be more appropriate to handle the CVFF, adding that NIMASA should not keep the fund anymore.

    “The only way the APC-led Federal Government can support the maritime sector is funding.But since the first National Maritime Authority (NMA) Act was created up till NIMASA, all the money that have been allocated for the CVFF, not a dime has been released, showing that there is a problem with the agency saddled with the management of the fund.

    “Unconfirmed sources within the agency told my clients that a huge part of the money was tinkered with by a former DG during the last presidential election. If the allegation is true, that as wrong because the money does not belong to NIMASA. The objective was to use it to develop ther local shipping industry which, Amaechi said, he wants to promote.”

    He wondered how many shipowners can  say the NMA or NIMASA supported them to buy a ship.

  • Agents urge NPA to invest in ship repair facility

    Agents urge NPA to invest in ship repair facility

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, has been urged to promote indigenous ship repair and dry docking.

    The President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu, who made the call, said it was regretable that Nigeria had no functional ship repair and dry docking firms.

    Shittu said Nigeria accounted for over 70 per cent of the ships coming to Africa, stating that no fewer than 5,000 vessels called at the seaports last year. He said with modern repairs’ facilities, the sector could make billions of naira and also create jobs.

    Most of the vessels operating on Nigeria’s territorial waters, he said, go to neighbouring countries for dry docking and other routine maintenance at a huge cost to the country.

    Shittu bemoaned the rate of pollution of the waters and urged NPA to address illegal fishing and dumping of hazardous wastes in the waters.

    He said the dumping of toxic wastes in the waters and the increasing crimes on the coastline required the collaboration and commitment of the Federal Government, NPA and foreign partners to build a safe maritime sector.

    The ANLCA chief said security experts around Africa had developed theories to check the increasing dumping of hazardous wastes and the menace of piracy, adding that Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand had set the stage for cooperation between states, in information exchange and mobilisation of resources.

    He observed that insecurity on Africa’s waterways forced insurers to hike rates for ships passing through the region.

    Shittu said: “This significant maritime presence requires that ship repairs with dry docks of varying capacities be established to cope with the maintenance requirement of these vessels. Classification society rules and the good maintenance of ships require that ships be dry docked every 30 months on the average for routine surveys.

    “Special surveys are required at every alternative docking that is once in three years. As the age of a vessel increases, so does the amount of repair work needed. Aside from routine docking, vessels need to come to propeller and ship hull, or damaged caused by ropes or debris, and also mechanical breakdown.

    “Sadly, the ship repairs industry in Nigeria is under-developed and its potential untapped. This is largely because the government has not paid meaningful attention to this sector of the economy.

    “As a result of the shortage of adequate ship repair facilities, most of the vessels operating in Nigeria waters proceed to neighbouring countries for scheduled dry docking and other routine maintenance works. This is at huge financial loss to the country, while at the same time denying employment opportunities for Nigerians.’’

    Shittu said he supported the move by the Minister of Transport, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, to establish a new national shipping line. He, however, said there was a need for the government to support the private sector by providing an enabling environment.

     

  • Terminal operators, others owe NPA N30b

    Terminal operators, others owe NPA N30b

    • Usman makes shocking discovery at Onne

    Terminal operators are owing the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) over N30 billion, The Nation has learnt.

    NPA’s Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, sources said, was furious when she learnt that four terminal operators and two firms at Onne Port were owing the agency  $7,931,247 and N9,458, 785,726.

    The debt excludes  what the Nigerian  National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other terminal operators are owing the agency.

    Ms. Usman has directed NPA’s  accounts section to recover the debt so as to boost the nation’s revenue profile.

    During her visit to Onne, the NPA boss said agreements signed with the  operators and others would be reviewed, stressing that her administration would plug all loopholes to ensure transparency and accountability.

    She directed all firms  to collect their receipts after transactions, saying NPA would pay revenue generated to the Federal Government through the  Single Treasury Account (STA).

    Ms Usman also directed that a competitive tariff and pricing regime be introduced at all sea ports, saying NPA would ensure that operators complied with the agreements they had with the government.

    She urged the debtors to pay up, or face sanction, saying she was not happy with the neglect of the quay apron by some operators.

    Ms Usman accused some of the operators of violating the concession agreement they signed with the government at Onne Port, threatening to take action if one of them fails to fix the collapsed Berth 8 section of the terminal.

    A senior Federal Ministry of Finance (FMoF) official told The Nation that the debts of three concessionaires on lease and throughput fees amounted to  $1,56 million.

    NPA, the official said, would double its revenue next year if  operators complied with the agreement they signed.

    Many of the companies, including some operators, it was learnt, were contesting the NPA’s right to charge Value Added Tax (VAT) on services provided by the authority.

    Investigation revealed that the  amount withheld as VAT by the protesters is N705.8 million.

    NPA, it was learnt, is insisting  on collecting the VAT because  the Federal Inland Revenue Service may ask it to pay the tax, if the it fails to collect the money.

    Some of the challenges militating against revenue generation which Ms. Usman has taken steps to address, include:

    • the need to have a modern signal/control tower;
    • an efficient signal station to monitor ship and other activities in the ports;
    • going to court over NNPC and other terminal operators’ debts
    • provision of pilotage services by the NPA;
    • addressing Information Communication Technology ( ICT) challenges to improve service delivery through automation, hardware and speedy network;
    • provision of marine craft and operational vehicles;
    • removal of abandoned service boats, barges and canoes on the waterways/channel and
    • the provision of transit accommodation for pilots embarking and disembarking from vessels in Bonny Town .

  • Shippers Council partners stakeholders to boost revenue

    The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) is partnering  some stake-holders to promote shipping.

    Its Executive Secretary, Hassan Bello, said the agency was collaborating with the Nigerian chapter of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers (ICS) for effective training and capacity development.

    He spoke when he received the officials of ICS, led by its Chairman, Captain S. Olanrewaju, in his office.

    According to him, the visit is timely and appropriate because it came at a time the Ministry of Transportation is taking stock of shipping.

    He said the NSC, being the economic regulator of the ports, plays an advisory role to the government on macro-economic issues as they affect shipping and transportation.

    Bello said it was imperative for the council to seek knowledge on types of ships, vessels, the configurations and trade routes.

    The council, he said, must know the various branches of shipping like freight forwarding, consolidation of cargoes and others to help it advise the government, especially now that the Council is the chairman of the Nigerian Fleet Implementation Committee (NFIC).

    “If you control the means of transportation, you control the trade. There is the need for us to own and operate ship in order to boost our economy through the earning that we will get. It is not right to leave it in the hands of foreigners to control. They make make money in our country and go back to their country.”

    Olanrewaju sought the council’s support to sponsor its workforce on short and long-term professional and skill development programmes.

    The institute, he said, was brought from London to boost the economy.

  • ‘Make MAN world-class institution’

    The Federal Government has been urged to make the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN) in Oron, Akwa Ibom State, a world-class institution to contribute to the national economy.

    Its Acting Rector, Mkpandiok Ante Mkpandiok, said the institution needed money to surmount its cash challenges, perform effectively and export seafarers.

    The challenges, according to him, include inadequate training equipment, vessels, simulation, access- to-sea time experience by cadets and underfunding.

    Mkpandiok said he would be happy when the country starts to export the academy’s seafarers to boost its economy.

    He urged foreign and indigenous ship owners to support the government by placing the academy’s cadets on board their ship for training.

    According to him, South Africa has a maritime training agreement with the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) to train it cadets.

    Mkpandiok said the academy was owing some contractors for some projects executed in the school.

    He said the contractors have petitioned the Presidency, Police and the National Assembly. He promised to pay them when cash is available.

    “The school with over 40 management staff has one mind. We have decided to work together to move the school forward and if the government grants approval to the plans that we have, in the next two years we will transform the institution to an enviable status,” he said.

  • NIMASA ‘lost about $3b in three years’

    NIMASA ‘lost about $3b in three years’

    The visit of the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, and his management team to the eastern zonal offices has revealed that about $3 billion was lost in three years to the non-implementation of the Sea Protection Levy (SPL), reports Maritime Correspondent OLUWAKEMI DAUDA.

    The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)  lost $2,950,151,671.14 in three years through non implementation of the Sea Protection Levy (SPL) by past managements. This, The Nation learnt, was between  2013 and 2015.

    The discovery, it was gathered, was made when its Director-Gneral (DG), Dr Dakuku Peterside, and the management team visited the Eastern zone of the agency. The SPL regime came into force in 2012.

    Peterside and his team, according to sources, were shocked when the revelation was made to them in Port Harcourt.

    Under the regime, NIMASA is to collect N1,500 or $9.38 per cubic metre of pipeline from high-water mark to termination point offshore.

    The revenue that was supposed to accrue to the agency from the levy, between 2013 and 2015, according to sources, was N471,772,655,009 or $2,950,151,671.  It was also discovered that other avenues that could have boosted  the agency’s revenue profile were not explored.

    For instance, the agency is generating $15 million annually from vessels on offshore platforms and pipelines in the zone. The visit, according to sources, however, revealed that the agency could have generated as much as $900 million from the same platforms annually, if necessary requirements were met.

    In the Eastern zone, a source told The Nation, NIMASA generates $11 million annually from vessels on rotations in Cabotage trade when it has the potential of generating $17 milliom annually.

    This amount, it was gathered, excluded millions of dollar the agency could have raked in from stevedoring charges on offshore operations and the Single Window Entry (SWE) platform. Peterside, it was gathered, has directed NIMASA to come forward with the core responsibilities of the zones, articulate uniform reporting template, establish a formidable joint enforcement team and a watertight surveillance system. It was also learnt that the DG directed the automation of workflow, distribution of ships surveillance information from the operation room to various units and the provision of efficient work environment for members of staff to boost revenue.

     

    Challenges

     

    During the visit, Peterside, it was gathered,  discovered that the agency did not have enough platforms for enforcement, had weak and insufficient operational vehicles, inadequate personal protective equipment for members of staff, usually experience delay in issuance of debit note from the head office and inadequate corporate communication and information communication technology (ICT).

    Other identified challenges include:, non training of members of staff on relevant fields both in  local and foreign operations, lack of equipment for drills and emergency response activities, non-availability of marine pollution laboratory or a NIMASA approved and certified private laboratory, delay in submission of completed bio-data forms, lack of functional on-line authentication portal for verification of seafarers’ certificate of competencies, discharge book and medical certificate fitness. Others were non connection of Onne  port to national grid, inadequate working tools such as computers and photo copy machines and inadequate office accommodation. Peterside has since promised to address and give priority attention them to boost efficiency.

     

    Agony of casual drivers

     

    Peterside  discovered that five drivers: David Unapec, Sunday Martins, Solomon Achuku, Sunday Adharjo, and Asuquo Edet have served the agency as casual workers for between 11 and 14 years.

    Peterside, apart from commending the affected drivers and identifying with their plight, directed the management to look for a way to employ those that have served the agency without blemish, a source said.

     

    Personnel

     

    Addressing the members of staff at the zonal headquarters, Peterside promised to expand their scope of authority, adding that he would deploy  more workers to the zonal and port offices of the agency to promote efficiency and generate more revenue.

    Investigations revealed that the Zonal Head Office would need additional 12 hands, Port Harcourt  six, Onne Port 15, Calabar 15, Eket four, Oron four, Yenagoa three and Bonny 10.

    The Eastern zone, it was gathered, needed additional 69  to its 234 personnel to work effectively.

     

    Visit to Naval base

     

    At the Naval in Sapele, the Zonal Co-ordinator, Capt. Kunle Olayiwola, conducted the team  round the abandoned floating dock, containers, Werklust caterpillars, oil pipes, three barges and other equipment at the base.

    He said the agency would find a lasting solution to the environmental challenges posed by the abandoned equipment.

    Peterside commended the professionalism of the officers and men of the Nigerian Army and Navy in combating piracy and insecurity on the waterways and sought their support in addressing the challenges posed by operators of illegal jetties and small crafts within the zone.

     

    Visit to Olu of Warri

     

    During his visit to the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli Emiko, the traditional ruler appealed to Peterside to facilitate the effective utilisation of Warri and Koko Ports with a view to reviving economic activities in the areas.

    The Olu expressed confidence in the ability of the to return the old glory of the two ports.

     

    At zonal offices 

     

    Addressing workers at the zone, Peterside expressed his determination to strengthen the zonal offices by devolving more power to the zones, granting them more autonomy and authority to handle statutory mandate without much recourse to the head office.

    Many officers of the agency, he said, would be moved to zonal and port offices to boost operation, enforcement and compliance, stating that the zones would be made the agency’s centre of activities. While bemoaning the poor state of some of the offices he visited, he commended the members of staff of the Yenagoa office for discharging their duties creditably.

    He directed them  to redouble their efforts and ensure that they register all small crafts operating on the nation’s territorial waters to stop their illegal activities. He advised all operators of small crafts to register with NIMASA or face sanctions.

    The DG also directed the staff to develop zero tolerance for corruption, compromise and embark on effective enforcement of their laws to boost security and generate more revenue to the Federal Government.

     

    His meeting with stakeholders

     

    During the stakeholders meeting in Portharcourt, the DG decried incessant militancy and restiveness in the region and called on the restive youths to embrace peace.

    He bemoaned the high level of insecurity in the region, which he said, had scared genuine investors away. While acknowledging that some of the demands of the agitators were germane, he solicited the support of opinion leaders and elders to bring peace and development to the region

     

    Sea time training

     

    On sea time training for Nigerian cadets, Peterside said the Agency was committed to growing human capacity in the industry and has already devised a number of initiatives where the cadets of the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP) would get sea time experience to enable them get gainful employment. Peterside highlighted areas of interest to include the flouting of cabotage law, negative impact to the environment from oil exploration activities, non payment of statutory levies due to the government and inadequate information sharing.

     

    On crewing agents and shipping companies

     

    Peterside has directed the enforcement officers at the zones to go after all crewing agents and shipping companies operating illegally in the country.  He said only approved crewing agencies have the right to engage in seafarers recruitment. He said recruitment activities outside the approved authority were illegal and must be stopped.

    NIMASA, he said, would sanction any company or individual who violated the law. NIMASA, as the flag state, according to Peterside, would no longer tolerate the violation of the Cabotage and other extant laws by the shipping companies, oil companies, terminal operators, shipping and crewing agents operating on the nation’s territorial waters.

     

    Achievement

     

    Based on the policy thrust of the current management of the agency, investigation revealed that detention of ships operating in the Eastern zone has reduced, compliance level has increased based on sentitisation programmes organised by the agency, the rate of water pollution in the zone is now minimal. There is relative  industrial peace and security in the port environment based on meetings and consultations with  labour and other stakeholders, a source said.

  • Importers, agents kick against proposed Customs, FIRS merger

    Importers, agents kick against proposed Customs, FIRS merger

    Stakeholders in the maritime industry have kicked against the proposed merger of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

    Rising from an extra-ordinary meeting of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in Lagos at the weekend, its President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said the core mandate of the NCS is not revenue generation but trade facilitation in an increasingly technology-driven world.

    To him, the difference between the two agencies is much and they cannot work together because of coordinated border management and the need to simplify the multiple regulations and inspections at porous border stations across the country.

    The Act which established the NCS, he added, is quite different from that of the FIRS and a new Act is needed ‘to marry the two strange bed-fellows together.’

    He said what the Federal Ministry of Finance and the FIRS needed to do  was to create a joint pro-business environment that would balance the needs of revenue collection and the facilitation of trade.

    Having played an important role in the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), he said the NCS needed a close working relationship with FIRS to boost revenue.

    Customs, he said, is a paramilitary organisation while FIRS is just a tax collector. “Customs is not a tax collector but a revenue generator,” Shittu said.

    The ANLCA chief said instead of a merger, the two agencies should create a platform where all revenue accrued to Customs at sea ports, airports and border stations would be seen by the FIRS officials.

    The ministry, he said, should insist that Customs must have a benchmark for all its transactions at ports so that its officials and tax evaders would no longer be able to manipulate the system.

    According to him, the benchmark would promote transparency and reduce leakages in the system.

    FMoF and the FIRS, ANLCA said, should also come up with a paperless transaction model that would make it possible for their officials to get simultaneous alert and information as importers or their clearing agents pay their duty and other charges to the banks.

    He said:“The core mandate of Customs is to facilitate trade, curb smuggling and generate revenue. Its mandate in terms of responsibility is higher than the mandate of FIRS which is just to collect all revenues that is going to the Federal Government.

    “Trade facilitation has become a major role seen by governments across the world as a crucial element of their economic policy, with the Customs occupying a unique position within the international supply chain of goods and services.

    “Customs has an enlarged role to perform in terms of competitiveness, speedy delivery of services and legitimate trade facilitation in a global environment harbouring a litany of threats like smuggling, cross border crime, money laundering and importation of injurious and hazardous substance to the port.

    “What we expect the FMoT and FIRS officials to do, is to formulate tax reform policies that must be implemented by Customs and other revenue collecting agencies.

    “It is not only Customs that collects revenue on behalf of the government at ports. The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and other government agencies also generate revenue at ports.

    “What are they and the protagonists of merger going to tell Nigerians concerning the structures of NPA, NIMASA, NSC, SON? Are they saying the government should merge them without regards to their core mandates and independent functions they are known for internationally?”

    He said Customs duty may be a component of revenue to the government, but there are other Customs functions which are non-revenue collections such as enforcement of anti-smuggling and contraband initiative as well as the arrest and prosecution of smugglers.

    An importer, Mr Malik Ayeni  urged the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun to make the opening of ‘Form M’ mandatory for all importers to know the expected revenue that will come through the process.

    He condemned the practice which allowed importers not to follow the import Form M guideline and travel abroad to bring in their items into the country and subject the goods to single declaration process.

    “It is through the single declaration process that the Customs will physically inspect the items and also value it and that is the point where revenue leakage occur because it is what they value that the government sees as its revenue but nobody knows what has gone under the table before the value was given.

    “Will the merging of Customs and FIRS solve this problem? The answer is no. What the FMoF and FIRS need to do therefore, is to insist that every Bill of Laden must henceforth reflect their Form M number to block leakages.

    “Also, FIRS should look into the excise duty rate and see what is being imported for Customs to apply the duty rate appropriately,” Ayeni said.

     

  • Fed Govt to implement IOPC fund

    The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to the implementation of the 1992 International Civil Liability Convention and the 1992 International Oil Pollution Compensation (IOPC) Fund.

    The NIMASA boss made the pledge in Abuja, during the 7th meeting of the National Standing Committee (NSC) on Implementation of the International IOPC Fund and related conventions.

    Represented by the Director, Abuja Zonal Office, Mr Ali Indabawa, Peterside told stake-holders that NIMASA was committed to the  implementation of the IOPC Fund and related conventions for the benefit of dwellers of coastal communities and the preservation of the marine environment.

    “The NIMASA is working hard to ensure that our marine environment is free from all sorts of pollution. This entails preventing and controlling pollution from all sources such as ship based and land based sources,”Peterside said.

    He added that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) had developed the compensation regime which helps victims of oil pollution to obtain compensation and for governments to be reimbursed for cost of oil spill clean-up.

    The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Zakari Sabiu, urged NIMASA and other agencies to develop a strategic implementation plan to curb incidences of marine pollution and effectively compensate victims when pollution occurs.

    Sabiu, who is also the chairman of the National Standing Committee on the implementation of the IOPC and related conventions, also urged members to work together on the task ahead.

    The international compensation regime as developed under the auspices of the IMO comprises two main conventions: the 1992 International Civil Liability convention and the 1992 IOPC Fund. Nigeria has ratified both conventions and,, therefore, has the obligation for its effective implementation.