The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NPA

  • NPA, LSSFT partner

    Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) are partnering to address insecurity and traffic management challenges at Apapa ports.

    NPA Managing Director Ms. Hadiza Usman made this known  when she received the LSSTF Executive Secretary, Dr. Abdurrazaq Balogun, and his team in her office.

    She said the collaboration would assist in resolving the challenges of insecurity and traffic gridlock at the ports.

    “I must say that this visit is very necessary as it gives us better understanding of LSSTF, considering the fact that the support requested for is of value to the NPA. On our part, we will review what the NPA has done in the past and do it in a sustainable manner.

    “I also assure you of our commitment to collaborate with the fund in other areas where the support is necessary to improve the challenges of insecurity and traffic management around Apapa ports.”

    Responding, Balogun said the visit was to rekindle the partnership between NPA and the fund. The LSSTF, more than ever before, he said, needed support to help security agencies combat crime in the state.

    He said the LSSTF was created in 2007 to source for resources in any form (cash, assets, technical, among others), to equip and support all security agencies in the state.

    “As we all know, the well-being and security of the people of a state are the responsibility of the government and that is why the Lagos State government has taken giant strides to see that this is put in place. Today, the state government is the fund’s biggest donor.

    “Without the LSSTF, the peace and tranquility experienced in Lagos in the last 10 years would not have been possible, but the Fund has been responding promptly to the needs of security agencies which make them more productive in the discharge of their duties,” Balogun said.

    Emphasising that the fund does not receive subvention from the government, Balogun said LSSTF is solely funded by donations from corporate organisations and well-meaning individuals.

    ‘‘LSSTF has been effective because of its transparency and accountability showing donors that what they put their money into is being expended judiciously in the procurement of vehicles, logistics and other crime fighting tools to the security agencies in the state,” he said.

  • Senate: 282 vessels missing from NPA’s custody

    Senate: 282 vessels missing from NPA’s custody

    • ‘N7tr goods smuggled in Nigeria yearly’

    The Senate yesterday raised the alarm over the disappearance of over 282 vessels from the custody of the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) within the last six years.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs, Excise and Tariff, Senator Hope Uzodinma, raised the alarm at an investigative public hearing on smuggling in the country.

    He said the 282 vessels were missing from various terminals of the NPA.

    He noted that documents in the possession of the Senate showed that the vessels disappeared between 2010 and 2016 without traces.

    He said: “We want the NPA to come and explain what happened to the 282 vessels that disappeared from the terminals. We have names of the releasing officers.”

    Uzodinma who described NPA as critical in the investigation, lamented that the agency failed to send any representative to the public hearing.

    He  said reports had detailed the colossal harm done to the country’s economy by the activities of smugglers.

    He said: “Those that may imagine that this is an exaggeration should do well to refer to a recent report of the World Bank on smuggling in Nigeria.

    “The report was unequivocal in stating that an astonishing $5billion  or N1.45 trillion worth of different goods are smuggled into Nigeria annually through Benin Republic alone.

    “Yet this is only 15 per cent of the total volume of smuggled goods through the Seme border.

    “The figure of goods smuggled through the sea ports is even more mind boggling.

    “The report has it that over $15billion or N4.35 trillion worth of goods are smuggled into the country each year through the sea ports. The story is the same for our international airports.

    “Put together, it means that goods worth over N7trilion are smuggled into the country each year.”

    He said it was more frightening to note that the annual turnover in the hands of smugglers was more than the country’s annual budget.

    He said the World Bank report further showed that over 25 per cent of the total annual revenue collected by Customs was lost to smugglers each year.

    “If you go by the projected revenue of the Service for this year, which is approximately N600 billion, it means the service will lose about N200 billion in revenue this year alone.’’

    Illegal importation of goods into the country, he said, had equally affected local industries, leading to loss of jobs and closure of industries.

    He lamented that smuggling is fast proving to be the biggest industry in Nigeria and must be fought to a standstill.

    Uzodinma lamented that there were other areas of leakages, arising from miss-invoicing by international traders, abuse of free trade zone policies and temporary import permit.

    He urged the stakeholders make useful submissions that would aid the committee in its investigation.

    He said: “I expect that those of you who have expert knowledge or privileged information on why this cankerworm has continued to pervade our economy should equally come forward with them.

    “No serious legislative arm of government will sit supine while smugglers ravage the economy and deny the government huge sums of legitimate revenue.

    “This Senate is determined to put an end to this smuggling malady and this investigation is designed to facilitate that,’’ he said.

  • NPA, INTELS row puts 20,000 jobs at risk

    • Osinbajo urged to intervene

    The Nigerian Importers Integrity Association (NIIA) has warned that no fewer than 20,000 jobs in the Niger Delta region could be lost as a result of the face-off between Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and oil and gas logistics giant INTELS Nigeria Limited.

    The group has appealed to Acting President Prof Yemi Osinbajo to intervene so as to avert the loss of jobs and its socio-economic backlashes.

    Its President, Mr. Godwin Onyekazi said it was unfortunate that a simple business disagreement, which could have been amicably resolved “at the coffee table” was allowed to degenerate to the point of threatening thousands of jobs.

    “INTELS is a major operator in oil and gas, maritime and real estate industries. It is one of the largest employers of labour in the country and in the Niger Delta region. It should therefore concern any well-meaning Nigerian that NPA is unable to amicably resolve and manage its differences with such organisation.

    “We have also read that INTELS is being persecuted because of its perceived links to a top politician in the country. This political dimension to the entire saga makes the intervention of Acting President Osinbajo imperative.

    “We do not think that companies operating in the country should be subjected to political persecution especially at this time when the Federal Government is pushing hard for peace to reign in the Niger Delta region,” Onyekazi said.

    He said the competition for oil and gas logistics is international and the loss of business by INTELS is the loss of business by Nigeria.

    “It is an exercise in delusion to think that there is any other facility in-country that can provide the type of services INTELS is providing to the oil and gas sector. The oil and gas majors will simply move to Angola, Sao Tome and Principe or South Africa to enjoy the kind of services they enjoy at INTELS if it is no longer in position to provide such service.

    “The implication of this is huge revenue loss to the country and loss of jobs in the Niger Delta region,” he said.

    The NIIA chief also called on the Federal Government to provide palliative measures to cushion the effect of Ijora-Wharf road closure for one year on port users.

    While commending the government for deeming it fit to repair the road, which he said has been abandoned for several years, he said the same attention should be given to the Port Harcourt Port and Onne Port access roads.

    Justice A. R. Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja, had last month issued an interim order directing the NPA and four others to maintain the status quo in a suit filed by INTELS Nigeria Limited on the de-categorisation of terminals at the nation’s seaports.

    INTELS, which filed the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/417/2017 at the Federal High Court Abuja, is asking the court to, among other reliefs, issue an order stopping the NPA and other defendants from implementing the proposed policy review.

  • NPA committed to ports’ efficiency, says MD

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is committed to promoting efficiency to ensure keen competition with neighbouring ports, its Managing Director, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, has said.

    Speaking with The Nation, Ms Usman said automation of the services at the ports was necessary to drive the change needed to reform the sector to attract more cargoes.

    She said automation would enhance efficiency, decrease waste, adding that openness would interrogate the system and process of cargo clearance.

    Ms Usman said people would be attracted to ports with increased volumes of cargo, which would then enhance revenue generation.

    According to her, there will be more employment and the ports will become the preferred destination for importers.

    “Some of the delays affecting our ports have been eliminated by NPA and we are also collaborating with other agencies  like Customs to introduce other electronic system of doing things,” she said.

    The NPA chief urged other government agencies to take a deliberate action to address many challenges confronting the port system through consistent and predictable policies.

    She said investors needed certainty and ease of doing business in Nigeria, which could be brought about by quick  intervention, especially in the gridlock at Apapa.

    According to her, no matter how efficient a terminal is, if you don’t have the road to evacuate cargoes, how can you do it.

    ‘’So, there must be some level of intervention, which the government is doing on Apapa/Ijora Expressway,’’ she said.

  • NPA: NDLEA among eight agencies allowed in Ports

    NPA: NDLEA among eight agencies allowed in Ports

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has clarified that eight agencies of the Federal Government are allowed to operate and have physical representation at the ports in the country by virtue of a 2011 presidential directive.

    A statement signed by Mr Ibrahim Nasiru, a Principal Manager, Public Affairs at the Authority listed the eight agencies as Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Nigerian Customs Service (NCS); Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Nigeria Police; Department of State Security (DSS); Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and Port Health.

    It stated further that while the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is the eighth agency approved to remain at the ports, the directive communicated to the Managing Director of the NPA in a 26th October, 2011 memo from the Federal Ministry of Transportation instructed that: “’a methodology which would ensure that only relevant cargoes are inspected by the agency, should be worked out. “

    The statement explained that other agencies not mentioned in the list above should remain outside the port premises and assured that the authority would work out modalities to ensure the effective and seamless operation of these agencies.

    While restating the NPA’s commitment to the determination of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to improve the ease of doing business in the country, the implementation of the Executive Orders recently issued by Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo as well as the improvement of conditions under which business is carried out in all ports across the country, the statement solicited for the support of all agencies and stakeholders “towards actualising the noble goal of making Nigeria a destination of choice for all legitimate businesses.”

  • NPA automates operation to fulfil Executive Order

    NPA automates operation to fulfil Executive Order

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has “fully automated” its operations nationwide in its bid to fulfil the Executive Order on Ease of doing Business, its Managing Director, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, has said.

    Speaking at a meeting with stakeholders in Lagos, on the implemen-tation of the order, Ms Usman said NPA would continue to introduce initiatives in line with best practices to ensure that it remains efficient, transparent and accountable.

    She also promised that a new platform would be created to accomo-date all government agencies at port for easy transaction.

    The stakeholders also urged the Federal Government to give maximum support to the Authority in its bid to enforce the Executive Order  by the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, on 24-hour port operations.

    NPA, it was gathered, will double its revenue next year, after achieving 90 per cent of its target in the 2015 and 2016 budgets.

    A senior official of the Federal Ministry of Finance, who craved anonymity, said at the weekend that things were expected to look up with the NPA’s implementation strategy on 24-hour port operations.

    The official said NPA had fashioned a robust template for operations at the ports. Under the new arrangement, revenue leakages will be blocked while improving operational revenue.

    With government support, NPA will be able to monitor activities of other agencies, including terminal operators, to track revenues through the unified automation platforms to be set up by its finance department, the official said.

    With the introduction of 24-hour port operations and the coordinating role of its leadership, NPA will be able to block leakages. Findings however revealed that a major impediment to NPA’s revenue drive is trade facilitation, while the management is working towards making the sea ports a hub in West Africa.

    “To double its revenue and surpass the budget target, what NPA needs  is the trade facilitation role of other government agencies. NPA has put its house in order with the calibre of the people that are currently leading the agency. But there is need for the Federal Government to ensure that the role of other agencies makes it easy for any of the land-locked countries in West and Central Africa to know that the cost of the goods that are passing through Nigerian ports are reduced, safe, secured and will be delivered wherever they are needed on time,” the official said.

    NPA’s Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Ibahim Nasiru, told The Nation after a meeting with stakeholders that NPA launched the Electronic Payment System and the Electronic Ship Entry Notice (E-Sen), last year as a first step towards full automation of its processes, pointing out that this has tremendously improved efficiency in port operations, as well as added value to stakeholders.

    “The Revenue Invoicing Management System and Customer Portal which we have just introduced are fully convergent and real time platforms for our processes, which will lower operational cost and shorten the time for documentation,” Nasiru said, adding that these platforms are fully integrated to the electronic flow of information for business–to–customer and business–to–business with higher availability and flexibility.

    He said the platforms are fully integrated with all our existing solutions such as Oracle Financials, Oracle Human Capital Management, NPA Pay Direct via Inter switch and Electronic Ship Entry Notice (eSEN).

    “The introduction of this system has the potential to improve our service offering, improve our relationship with stakeholders, create efficient payment method, maximise revenue and minimise losses associated with fraud and revenue leakage.

    “The Customer Self Service Portal (CSSP) on the other hand, provides a platform for our customers to initiate and conclude their business process with us and also communicate with NPA,” the Public Affairs chief said, adding that the benefits accruing from this portal, include improved customer service delivery;  easy access to customer accounts status; view of all transactions and status in respect of bills; electronic upload of manifest; e-invoice and e-receipt generation.

    “Similarly, our Billing Applications which are already operational in all port locations will soon proceed to the next stage. Currently, it covers payment processes in areas such as Lease Fees, Service Boats, Passenger boats, General Bills (Jetties and Trawlers), and Oil Terminal Dues (OTD)/Compulsory Pilotage Rates (CPR).

    Nasiru said: “The introduction of these measures has facilitated business growth with high performance and unlimited scalability of the operations of the authority. This is evident from statistics which have shown that cargo throughput increased from 46,150,518 metric tonnes in 2006, to 86,603,903 metric tonnes in 2014, indicating an 87 per cent increase during that period which is due in part to continued efforts at improving processes.”

    He said the Executive Order issued by the Acting President will improve cargo-based revenue by 52 per cent within a year and 65 per cent subsequently.

    Nasiru said the e-ship entry notice initiative introduced by NPA has improved Gross Tonnage (GRT) based revenue by 38 per cent between 2014 and 2015.

    His words: “The deployment of e-SEN and RIMS Solution by NPA has blocked all leakages in our operational activities by 95 per cent and the remaining five per cent would be blocked upon the launch of a command and control centre which is expected to go on stream by the end of November, this year.”

    He said before the end of this year, “operational leakages would be a thing of the past in all the nation’s seaports as NPA plays its coordinating role in the implementation of the Executive Order’’.

    The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) National President, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said the body was happy with the giant stride so far taken by the NPA in the implementation of the Executive Order.

    “Nigerian Shippers, Cargo owners and shipping lines have a lot to benefit from the coordinating role the NPA is playing in the execution of the order issued by the Federal Government on 24-hour port operation. Its appointment as the coordinating agency is an excellent initiative of the government to improve efficiency and save so much time and costs. NPA, we believe, is up to the task,’’ he said.

  • NPA working in Nigeria’s best interest

    The Nigerian Ports Authority has reiterated its resolve to work in the best interest of the country.

    In a statement by the Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Ibrahim Nasiru, the NPA explained that initiatives taken by the Authority in the past couple of months have attracted investments worth $86 million from the China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC)  at the Lekki Deep Sea Port.

    The statement was in reaction to the one credited to the Committee of Maritime Professionals (CMP) that the NPA under its current management under was hindering investment in the sector.

    It said that all policies and procedures introduced since the appointment of Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman are borne out of a firm commitment to actualising the change agenda of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    It added: “In the same vein, the NPA is currently working with DP World to actualise the organisation’s determination to invest in Greenfield port opportunities. The plan is to develop a DP World Terminal in the Lagos area and a suitable site is currently being sought.  Both the brownfield as evident in the agreement on the Bulk Terminal and the Greenfield are investments worth billions of United State dollars.”

  • NPA to fix Apapa roads with N4b as agents, others begin strike

    NPA to fix Apapa roads with N4b as agents, others begin strike

    The Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA) is to spend N4 billion to fix Apapa roads, its Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman said yesterday.

    She said the deplorable state of Apapa roads is hampering access to the Lagos seaports and affecting businesses around the area.

    Her revelation coincided with the withdrawal of services by members of the Amalgamation of Trucking Associations with Other Stakeholders in Maritime Industry (ATAOSMI).

    The association raised a task force team which picketed the terminals to instill order among its members.

    On Sunday,  the operators threatened to withdraw their services from yesterday in Lagos to make the Federal Government fix the access roads.

    The action, meant to paralyse activities at ports and bonded terminals, reduced human and vehicular traffic on the ever-busy Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

    At the TICT terminal gate at Tin-can Second Gate, the task force apprehended violators of the directive. At the SDV terminal, the story was the same with pockets of vehicles impounded.

    Commenting on the action, Mr Remi Ogungbemi, Chairman, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMTO), said it was long overdue.

    Ogungbemi said: “A notice of withdrawal of service was signed by the Chairman of the Amalgamation, Mr Victor Nnyosum,  and sent to stakeholders in Apapa.

    “We are not in any way embarking on illegality as all loopholes have been blocked before now.”

    According to him, the body resolved to withdraw service following the deterioration of the Tin Can/Apapa roads.

    He said that the roads had claimed lives, damaged trucks, goods on transit and responsible for high cost of doing business at the ports.

    He noted that the action would be indefinite until the roads were fully rehabilitated.

    The NPA met with the stakeholders in Lagos to bring the situation under control.

    The National Publicity Secretary of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Dr Kayode Farinto, confirmed that ANLCA fully supported the strike.

    The Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Rotimi Amaechi, said in 2015 that Apapa road rehabilitation was not in the 2015 budget and promised to include it in last year’s budget.

    NPA, Ms Usman said, spoke when top management team of the authority visited the Lagos Port Complex and the Tin Can Island Ports to assess the impact of the deplorable condition of the road that has for long crippled business activities at the ports.

    The NPA team  embarked on the inspection tour of the failed sections of the roads at Tin Can Island and Coconut axis of the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway, following the strike action embarked upon by clearing agents and truck owners over the deplorable port access roads that is affecting their business.

    She lamented that the poor access roads to the seaports were adversely affecting the delivery of cargoes to importers, thus killing the trade facilitation programme of the government.

    The NPA, she said, was not happy that several measures, hitherto adopted had not translated into quick cargo movement in and out of the ports.

    She assured the protesting agents and other stakeholders that NPA  would soon address the problem in the interest of all and the economy.

    Ms. Usman said the quick rehabilitation of the road remained a priority to her team to reposition the ports and salvage the economy.

    She said the NPA is collaborating with Dangote Group and Flour Mills to reduce the gridlock in Apapa.

    Her words: “The roads are under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Powers, Works and Housing. We have held several meetings with the ministry and we have come to an agreement that the NPA will jointly fund the reconstruction of these roads.

    “The ministry will be submitting to the Federal Executive Council  (FEC) meeting tomorrow, to seek council’s approval to embark on the reconstruction of wharf road.

    “We believe that these roads are priority to us. So, we have identified budgetary heads for them and we are going to budgets for them inspite of the fact that they are not under our purview. So, we are commencing with that. The NPA will provide funding for that road in conjunction with the two bodies.”

    She assured that  the reconstruction work would be carried out within 10 months.

    According to her, the width of the roads would be 12 metres with full utilities deployed and will have a life span of 30 years when completed.

    “It is going to be a concrete road that will have a lifespan of 30 years. The project we commence within this month. We are going to sign an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Works, Dangote and Flour mills on the implementation of the project and they have confirmed that the reconstruction will be embarked upon for 10 months period so we believe that this wharf road will be able to reach conclusion within this year”, Ms Usman said.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Foreign Direct Investments will increase in Nigeria – Umana

    Foreign Direct Investments will increase in Nigeria – Umana

    Managing Director, Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority, Mr Umana Umana, has expressed optimism that the nation’s economy will be boosted through Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs).

    Umana told newsmen in Abuja on Sunday that the agency had been repositioned to promote and sustain FDIs within the zones.

    According to him, the agency has been repositioned to be a revenue earner because the challenges affecting it have been addressed.

    He stated that the free zones had the responsibility to provide the right environment in terms of ensuring that existing incentives in their domains were known to investors.

    Umana explained that the authority’s new disposition stemmed from a management retreat, where a roadmap to deal with foundational issues of the agency was initiated.

    “Within the roadmap are issues on how to promote and sustain FDIs within our zones, providing the right environment in terms of ensuring that existing incentives in the zones are known to investors.

    “We are able to do that and have also produced a brochure to help potential investors have documented records of what we offer and their obligations.

    “I want to state that the incentives we offer compete well with that offered by other free trade zones globally.

    “Since I took over, we have taken steps to look at operational deficiencies such as the period it takes to renew licenses,” he said.

    Umana said that before assumed office in September, 2016, it took about 14 days to renew licenses, but that the process had been reduced to three days under him.

    “If our investors meet the requirements for the renewal of licenses, which include payment of renewal fees and submission of annual returns among others, they will have their licenses renewed within 48 hours.

    “I believe that the agency has gone a long way to promote the ‘Ease of Doing Business Policy’ of the Federal Government,’’ he said.

    He explained that some of the foundational issues he met had to do with capacity of staff to deliver on the core mandate of attracting FDIs and promoting economic development.

    “After we addressed that, we had stakeholders meeting with all the other agencies of government that operate within the zone – Customs, Immigration, the NPA, and of course, the investors.

    “We had a roundtable and made our commitments to improve on service delivery and assured that it would no longer be business as usual because we needed to improve on the Ease of Doing Business.

    ”I also discovered when I took over that the authority didn’t have operational presence even in Nigeria. It was barely visible and not known even by Nigerians.

    “We have now made it known to Nigerians and its values to fast-track development because Nigerians will benefit from increase in employment and transfer of technology,” he explained.

    Umana said that over the next four years, the agency would grow FDI by over 40 per cent and upscale its strength and capacity to play its role as a regulator to players in the free zone.

    “We are also looking at how to establish new zones in partnership with the private sector.

    “Onne is a good example of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) that has worked.

    “I have presented it at global events as one of the free trade zones that are based on the PPP model that has worked.

    “It is also based on a cluster model because its activities are centered on oil and gas.

    “It has given the Federal Government through the NPA over two billion dollars revenue between 2010 and 2016.

    “The tool of the free zones as a strategy to drive investment and development has been used successfully in Dubai and Malaysia.

    “There is a budget of N43 billion in 2017 for six special economic zones and this goes to underscore the importance the government is now according the free zones as economic tool.’’

    He said that though the economic downturn had impacted on the activities in the zones, the prospects were bright.

    Umana disclosed that there were threats from countries like Mozambique, which was creating real incentives for oil and gas investments.

    “The attraction of investment is not a domestic affair; it is an international one because investors have options to choose from.

    “Nigeria is just one of the options; that is why we are trying to work hard to put our free trade zones before the world with good incentives.

    “This is because if people don’t know about what you have, they won’t come around.

    “We are trying to market our free trade zones as we recently did at the last World Free Trade Zones Convention in Doha.

    “Nigeria has a very strong market due to our population; we must be taken serious as a destination for investors who are looking at free trade zones around the world.’’

  • Ship discharges petroleum products, other commodities in Lagos

    Seventeen ships are discharging petroleum products and other commodities at Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports in Lagos, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), said on Friday.

    NPA explained that the ships were discharging buck wheat, petrol, general cargo, containers, salt, gypsum, bulk fertiliser, diesel, bulk sugar and bulk corn.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 29 other ships laden with petroleum products, food items and other goods are expected to arrive in Lagos ports between May 12 and June 3.

    NPA said that the expected ships would bring base oil, general cargoes, bulk fertiliser, bulk corn, buck wheat, containers, empty container, bulk gypsum, bulk sugar, empty container and petrol.

    NAN reports that 26 ships were expected on May 8; 30 ships on May 9; 31ships on May 10 and 30 ships expected on May 11.

    The document noted that 11 ships had arrived at the ports, waiting to berth with bulk fertiliser, Buck wheat, ethanol and petrol.