Some stakeholders in the maritime sector have called for the
reduction in the number of government agencies at the seaports and a review of
some obsolete maritime polices.

The stakeholders who disclosed this to newsmen in Lagos
recently said that duplication of duties by government agencies at seaports
were some of the issues in the maritime sector.

Our correspondent recalls that the Federal Government, on October, 2011, ordered the withdrawal of services of eight agencies at the seaports and reduced the number from 14 to six.

Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Finance and
Coordinating Minister for the Economy, gave the order during an inspection of
the Lagos ports by the National Economic Team.

The minister said that ports’ operations must be streamlined
to enhance efficiency and reduce costs as obtained in developed economies.

President of the Institute of Freight Forwarders of Nigeria,
Mr Zebulon Ikokide, told newsmen that the bane of the maritime sector was too
many supervisory agencies at the ports.

“There are too many agencies in the Nigerian maritime
sector. Even though the number has been reduced, those left are still hindering
the progress of the sector.

“If you go to the ports, you will find the NPA, Nigeria Customs
Service, NAFDAC and NIMASA,’’ Ikokide said.

President of National Association of Government Approved
Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Mr Eugene Nweke,
urged players in the maritime sector to initiate bills to move the
industry forward.

“We want to see a situation where bills are passed and
signed into laws devoid of vested interests.

“The Ports and Harbour Bill should be facilitated and made
to work and the National Transport Commission Bill should also see the light of
the day.

“The nation cannot boast of being a maritime nation when it
does not have its own shipping fleet,” he said.

Mr Olu Akinsoji, a marine engineer, told newsmen that one of
the good steps taken by government was the draft legislation on unlawful acts
against ships.

Akinsoji said that the nation would be able to address the
issues of piracy and armed robbery in Nigerian waters if the legislation was
passed through the National Assembly and appropriate actions taken.

“The current procedure adopted by NIMASA against armed
robbery and piracy is a fire-brigade approach.

“How do you arrest and prosecute offenders, when you don’t
have the legislation in place in line with international standard’’ Akinsoji
asked.

Dr Boniface Aniebonam, Founder of National Association of
Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), advised the Federal Government
to re-establish the Nigerian National Shipping Line.

He said that the nation was losing a lot of revenue to
foreign shipping lines.

Aniebonam said that some of the laws governing the port
industry like the Customs and Excise Management Act should be reviewed.

“We have not made efforts to join the global trend in
logistics management. This means that the multi-modal transport system is not
operational in Nigeria.

“ The ports must be linked with the rails where cargoes can
move from conventional ports to the terminals,’’ he said.

Aniebonam said that government had not achieved the
objectives of the ports concession programme.

“With the concession policy, the cost of doing business in
the ports should have dropped by 30 per cent in the first year.

“The concession policy of government is supposed to reduce
the cost of doing business in our ports, but what do we have today.

“The cost of doing business at the ports is higher and this
has not created opportunities for competition with the neighbouring ports,’’ he
said.

Another issue which the stakeholders, especially freight
forwarders, are worried about is the introduction of transaction fees by the
Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN).

CRFFN has imposed transaction fees of N1, 000 on 20 foot
container and N2, 000 on 40 foot container a move President of ANLCA, Mr
Olayiwola Shittu, is opposed to.