The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NPA

  • NPA scores self low on budget performance

    NPA scores self low on budget performance

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi, said he was not happy over the low level performance of their capital budget in the last few years.

    The issue, the NPA boss said, is giving the Federal Government and the new management of the authority concern.

    Speaking with The Nation in Lagos last week, Abdullahi said considering the vital role the ports play as a gateway to trade and commerce, it was necessary for them to carry out their responsibilities as the land lord at the ports and perform optimally.

    Some of their core functions, he said, include but not limited to infrastructure development, dredging of the channels, maintenance and acquisition of vital operational equipment, such as vessels, pilotage and towage, among others

    “Considering that the revenues of the authority under the present dispensation are derived from its core arrears of responsibility, being the provision of infrastructure, vessel support services, the viability of the ports more than ever linked to the level of its infrastructure, which are needed to enhance our capacity to sustain and foster growth in traffic throughput in response to the growth in economic activities,” he said.

    The NPA boss said the level of their operational performance and revenue are dictated by the standard of infrastructure, which makes it necessary for them to be efficient in their procurement processes.

    While noting that the operations of the various departments and units of the authority are interrelated, such that the input of one department determines the output of another in the overall duty of the authority, he called for synergy between departments, the ports, zonal offices and the management team to enhance port performance and revenue generation.

  • ‘Why night cargo clearance is not working’

    ‘Why night cargo clearance is not working’

    Despite the efforts of the Federal Government to facilitate trade at the ports by introducing 24-hour port operation, night cargo clearance at port is yet to work as planned, investigation has revealed.

    Poor power supply, unstable data processing system and insecurity are some of the major factors responsible for the inability of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to clear goods in the night.

    The Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar and the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) have been urged to address the issue to curb cargo diversion.

    Investigation revealed while work at the Tin Can Island Ports in the day has been epileptic due to the server failure, at night, work is paralysed by poor power supply. As as a result, the Customs relies on generator to power some of their offices while some use rechargeable lamps.

    Investigation also revealed that many clearing agents were not in their duty posts at the time of the visit to the ports by The Nation last Saturday because they had no hope that their goods would be cleared on time.

    A senior Customs officer, who craved anonymity, said there must be constant power supply if the government wants to achieve its objectives on the 24-hour cargo clearance.

    The officer said most of the time, clearing agents, importers and releasing and officials of the shipping companies, were on ground to perform their duty at night, adding that their absence has stalled operations in recent times.

    Also, an importer, Mr Leke Ayeni, said the refusal of customs officials to discharge their duties promptly has affected the clearing of goods at night.

    Ayeni said the development makes it difficult for importers and agents to do the necessary documen-tations at the ports.

    According to him, officials are unable to access necessary data due to poor network system. He listed other problems to include poor power supply, and fear of attack by men of the underworld.

    He urged the Federal Government to look at the issue and further take appropriate actions.

    Also, an importer and maritime lawyer, Mr Felix Aborisade, queried the ports authority for not putting in place measures that would bring about 24-hour cargo clearance in the ports.

    “For the policy on 24-hour cargo clearance to succeed, the government needs to assure the agents of their safety when they want to collect their goods in the night. When the cleared goods are not safe during the day, is it the night that such goods would be safe?” he asked.

    Last year, the government had introduced the 24-hour clearance to decongest the ports, ensure trade facilitation, and bring the nation’s ports operations in line with the global trend.

  • NPA to make ports Africa’s hub

    The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Mallam Habib Abdulahi, has reiterated the organisation’s determination to make some of the nation’s seaports the hub of maritime, not only in the sub-region and Africa.

    Speaking on the potential of the nation’s seaports, such as improved infrastructural development and the huge market, Abdulahi said the nation’s seaports can serve as hub in the continent.

    He told The Nation that in a report recently, Lagos and Cape Town were ranked as some of most innovative cities by two international bodies, Citigroup and Urban Land Institute of the United States for their economic potential and the former for accounting for 80 per cent of the country’s seaport activities “ranked .

    According to him, the management of NPA is making efforts to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of the nation’s seaports.

    The NPA boss explained that not only are the channels of the seaports navigable with regular maintenance dredging, all wrecks along the channels have been removed to facilitate the smooth navigation in and out of the channels.

    He cited some projects embarked upon or completed by the NPA management to enhance operations generally in the nation’s seaports.

  • NPA seeks compliance with security checks

    The Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) has urged stakeholders to comply with the security measures at the entry gates of the ports in Lagos.

    Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Apapa Command of the Nigeria Customs Service in Lagos, NPA’sAssistant General Manager, Security, Mr Samuel Asamagie, who represented the Port Manager, Mr Joshua Ashanga, urged port users to comply with the checks at the ports.

    He said some of challenges at the ports resulted from the human traffic so, emphasis would placed on checking port users at the gate before they enter the port.

    He said security at the gate would be fortified, adding that such measure could lead to 80 per cent reduction of the challenges faced at the ports.

    He stressed that there would be checks at the gate of Tin Can Island Port and the Lagos Port Complex and called on stakeholders to submit themselves to the checks.

    ‘’If we all expose ourselves to checks at the access gates , I can assure us that it will eliminate a lot of problems at the ports in Lagos. It may create a lot of inconvenience, but I want to say that it is better to suffer a little inconvenience than suffer the consequences that will follow,” Ashanga said.

    According to him, the NPA has put in place measures to address stowaways and attacks on vessels, which, he said, pose security challenges at the ports.

     

  • NPA’s marine unit is weak, says MD

    The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi, has decried the dearth of manpower in the marine unit of the authority.

    He said he was prepared to partner with the Society of Nigerian Mariners to enhance the department’s capability.

    Abdullahi spoke when executive members of the association, led by its Chairman, Capt Cosmas Niagwan, visited him in his office in Lagos.

    Urging the group to assist in building the department to international standard, Abdullahi said he was happy to receive the delegation of master mariners, marine engineers and retired senior Navy officers.

    “I need your assistance please. I need you to come in and assist in the best way to move forward the marine division. I don’t know how you are going to do it,” he said.

    He expressed the desire to move NPA marine activities back to its old days. He challenged mariners to come forward with suggestions and action plans that would enhance the activities of NPA.

    He added that if it required appointing a consultant from the association to revitalise the agency’s marine department, he would do it.

    Earlier, Niagwan, who is also a master mariner, said the association is aimed at bringing mariners under one umbrella and that it is willing to partner with the NPA to ensure that the organisation fulfills its objectives and responds more appropriately to the needs of stakeholders.

    Also speaking, the association’s Secretary-General, Greg Ogbeifun promised that the association would work with the agency, adding that for the association to assist Abdulahi, it must understand what the managing director desires.

    “For us to come up with ideas, we will need to know what is on ground; we will like to do a bit of due diligence, but more importantly, we will like to know what is in your heart, so that we will be able to articulate a process of taking the situation from where it is to where it’s going,” he said.