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Maritime

Stakeholders Want Fewer Agencies At Ports

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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.

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Maritime

Fall Off Container Crushes Woman To Death

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Tragedy struck on Friday, when a fully loaded 40ft container fell from a Mack truck and crushed a woman to death along Lagos, Ibadan Expressway.
The Tide gathered  that the Mack truck was on high speed when the incident occurred around NNPC inward Alapere, Ogudu, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
A statement made available to our correspondent in Lagos by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightment Department of Lagos State traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Adebayo Taofiq, said a fully loaded 40ft Mack articulated truck fell on a Nissan car with registration number ABJ 692BG and instantly killed a woman at the rear of the car, while the car driver survived unhurt with the support of LASTMA officials.
Taofiq confirmed that the driver of the Mack articulated truck with his motor-boy ran away immediately the fatal accident occurred.
He said, according to preliminary investigation, the truck while on a high speed lost control as a result of a brake failure and rammed into a moving Nissan car on motion by N.N.P.C inward Alapere, Ogudu, along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos.
The rescue agencies at the scene of the crash were the LASEMA, Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service and the Police.
Also at the accident scene were the LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, LASTMA Director of Traffic Incidents, Event Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance, Mr. Hakeem Adeosun, and the LASTMA rescue team.
General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare Oki, however, warned motoring public, particularly truck drivers, to stop over speeding and ensure their vehicles are properly checked, including the braking system, before embarking on any journey within or outside the State.
The incident attracted passers-by, who thronged the scene lamenting the unfortunate incident, accusing men of the ports task force of negligence.

 

By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos

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Maritime

PTML Customs Posts N66.92bn Revenue In First Quarter 2024

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The Port Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) Command of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has presented an impressive revenue record collection for the first quarter of 2024.
According to the Command, it collected the sum of N66,920,181,586.30 as total revenue for the quarter of 2024, which is N22,198,965,809.55 higher than N44,721,215,776.75 collected between January and March 2023, representing 49.6 percent increase.
The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of the Command , Compt. Saidu Abba Yusuf, who described the increase in revenue collection as a laudable feat , said the Command is more committed towards trade facilitation and support government drive for ease of doing business.
Comptroller Yusuf, who thanked the Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, for initiating strategies to achieve faster cargo clearance, reiterared that PTML Command under his watch aims to surpass its record of three hour cargo clearance for compliant traders.
According to Yusuf, the launching of time release study (TRS), which is ongoing, and other deliberate efforts by the Comptroller General have contributed in the expansion of terminal space and promoting ease of doing business in PTML.
He also disclosed that the PTML Command has potentials to achieve two hour cargo clearance and surpass its existing three hours record, if port users compliance level is improved upon.
Comptroller Yusuf, who described PTML as one of the safest and most secure environment for RoRo (Roll On Roll Off) and general cargoes, also advised importets and their agents to take advantage of the incentives available for compliant traders such as fast track, advance ruling and possible migration to the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status.
He reminded port users in PTML of the robust and time conscious dispute resolution mechanism, which has contributed immensely to the revenue collection, trade facilitation and anti smuggling functions of the Command.
While commending the various government and private sector stakeholders for their cooperation and support towards realisation of government goal of revenue collection and prevention of unlawful activities, Comptroller Yusuf expressed optimism that the Command will surpass its annual target for the year.

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Maritime

Customs Comptroller Lauds Scanning Officers Over Efficiency

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The Customs Area Controller (CAC) of Apapa Customs Command, Comptroller Babajide Jaiyeoba, has commended the officers of the Non Intrusive Inspection Technology Unit (NIITU) for their invaluable contributions to the overall success of the Command.
Comptroller Jaiyeoba, who was on an unscheduled visit to the scanner site, reminded the officers of the importance of team work as a strong basis to sustain the gains of compliance and revenue collection recently recorded by the Command.
According to a statement by the Public Relations Officer, Apapa Command, CSC Abubakar Usman, Comptroller Jaiyeoba thanked Deputy Comptroller, Salamatu Atuluku, the Officer in Charge of scanning site, and encouraged the unit not to be deterred by complaints coming from persons who were made to pay accurate duties to government after issuance of demand notices.
The Customs boss stated that no business person who is made to part with money will be happy with officers that refused compromising the ethics of their job.
He noted that “The main reason for me coming here is to appreciate you. I may not see you, but I have seen your work and I won’t keep quiet about what I have seen about your work. You are doing very well. I just want to encourage you to work as a team. If you don’t work as a team, you give room for outsiders to come in and when they come in, they divide you, and when they divide you, achieving success will be very difficult.
“Do your work without blemish. Once you keep your arm straight, you can stand before anybody. Your work as a Customs Officer is to ensure that you do the correct thing.
“For those of you doing intervention in the form of Demand Notice (DN), there is no body who part with money that will be happy with you. They will want to play intelligent by hiding somewhere. When you fetch them from their hiding place, they become your enemy.
Whatever they write about anybody here will still come down to me and if anybody works well, the onus on me is to defend such a person .
“Just have it at the back of your mind that you owe yourself the duty of doing your work diligently whether anyone comes around as a friend or enemy. It is not enough for you to rest. The reward for hard work is more work. These demands require sacrifice so that you can maintain the status”.

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