‘Only Genuine Maritime Operators Can Obtain Port Passes’

The Nigerian Ports
Authority (NPA) has said that port passes would be issued to stakeholders based on their operational needs inside the port.
The Apapa Port Manager, Mr Mohammed Nasir, told our correspondent  in Lagos that the new policy was meant to limit the number of people at the ports.
He said people should see the port as an economic security zone meant for only those with genuine import businesses.
“Why do you need 10 port passes? The fewer people we have inside the port, the better.
“Because the port is a security area, it is an operational area and it is very sensitive and it is not a place where everybody will come in.
“Ordinarily, a job that can be done by one person, you see many people, beginning from the master to the attachments and other things.
“But, we are saying, inside the port, we are not going to allow that.
“We will ensure that we minimise the number so that the port becomes more secure, much friendly and more effective in the discharge of our duties,” he said.
The port manager also urged companies operating at the ports to request for port passes for only those needed for their operations.
Nasir said that port’s security started with managing the number of people at the port daily and knowing what they did.