Aviation
Nigerian Ports, Fertile Ground For Corruption – ANLCA Boss
The President of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) has described Nigerian Ports as fertile ground for corruption and a place for sharing the national cake.
Olayinola Shittu in an interview with The Tide correspondent at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa said although corruption is found in all strata of the country but the ports are seen as a national cake.
“Corruption is everywhere and no nation has grown without corruption but the ports are fertile ground for corruption as they see it as a national cake,” Shittu stressed, pointing out that it is the duty of everyone to ensure that the menace is wiped out because it affects the nation’s economy.
He observed that the cumbersome nature of importation process in Nigeria is an anormally compared with other West African sub-regions, adding that multiple checks by customs officials and other agencies on imported goods was an indication of loss of trust and confidence in the agencies engaged in the duty.
According to him, “if all of us do what is right, multiple checks must disappear. If there is nothing to hold against somebody, corruption will not thrive. This development affect the economy of the country, so it is the duty of the individual to do things right to bring a change.”
The ANLCA boss who explained that the job of the association is to assist the customs service in the implementation of government policies and programmes as it concerns importation, educate the importer on government policies and their functions to government noted that Nigerian factor affects the importer who pays dues to the government.
“Multiple checks has never done any good to the nation,” Shittu declared and condemned the lifting of ban on the importation of tooth pick and other products that are not important to the people.
“Lifting ban on tooth pick is making it a luxury when there are a lot of products needed by Nigerians such as textile materials and others,” he noted, adding “there is no wisdom in the importation of contraband.”
Shedie Opara
As a measure to curb corruption and restore accountability, the Association of Nigeria Aviation Professionals (ANAP), has called on the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, to push for the urgent formation and inauguration of governing boards for all other aviation agencies.
ANAP’s Secretary General, AbdulRasaq Saidu, made this call at the weekend when interacting with aviation correspondents, in reaction to recent inauguration of Board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
Keyamo had recently inaugurated the FAAN board, more than six months after its members were appointed by President Bola Tinubu, where Dr. Umar Ganduje was named Board Chairman, with FAAN’s Managing Director, Olubunmi Kuku, as the Vice Chairman.
Other board members include representatives from the Ministries of Justice, Defence, Tourism, and Aviation, as well as professionals from the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, and FAAN’s legal department.
The ANAP scribe there urged the aviation Minister not to stop at FAAN but to ensure that all aviation parastatals are given functional boards to restore order and credibility to the sector.
He, however, commended Keyamo for recently inaugurating the board of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria but stressed that more needed to be done.
Saidu also warned that the continued delay in constituting boards for other aviation agencies creates room for unchecked abuses, including illegal contracts, fraudulent employment practices, and mismanagement.
“The absence of governing boards violates the enabling Acts that established these agencies. Only properly constituted boards can enforce discipline, ensure due process in decision-making, and provide oversight to prevent corruption”, Saidu said.
He emphasised that the aviation unions, including ANAP, have consistently raised concerns about poor governance and lack of transparency within the aviation system.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to act swiftly by appointing board members for all relevant agencies, in the interest of fairness and aviation safety.
Saidu also tackled the former Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, for failing to inaugurate any boards during his eight-year tenure, despite appointments being made by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“ANAP raised the alarm several times under Sirika’s leadership, but nothing changed. That lapse has continued under the current administration, and it must be addressed now”, Saidu stated.
By: Corlins Walter