Amaechi Identifies Corruption, Illegal Charges, Congestion as Challenges of Ports Operations

*Every agency should be transparent to curb corruption, Says NPA MD

Corruption in ports operations, illegal charges, human and vehicular congestion have been identified as major challenges in ports operations.
The . Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi who said this
also added that red tapes, rent seeking were among the issues in the ports that have to be addressed.
Amaechi who spoke during a “Roundtable discussion Agenda,” organised by the Convention on Business Integrity (CBI) and the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN), in Abuja pointed out that these issues were despite all the successes that have been achieved in the efforts to enthrone efficiency in ports operation.
The Minister who was represented by the the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, added that all the same so much have been achieved, adding that at least port users now enjoy standard operating procedures introduced by government agencies.
He said that the ports industry was poised for more reforms with the collaboration of civil society groups and stakeholders like the MACN.
In this regard, he said Nigeria will be strategically positioned to reclaim its pride of place among the West African maritime states and benefit from the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA).
According to him, “It is important to note that despite these successes, challenges of port administration are still enormous and include excessive delays in import and export processes, red tape, rent seeking, corrupt demands, human and vehicular congestion in and around the ports and illegal charges leading to the high cost of business operations”.
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko, in his comment said that corruption in ports operation was the totality of actions and inactions which have made the maritime industry unfit for purpose.
Bello-Koko who was represented by the Abuja Liaison Office of the NPA, Mr. Edward Kabiru, said as entry point to the economy, Nigerian port was vital in determining the fitness of the overall economy.
According to him, the ports should be part of the efforts to eliminate corruption.
He said that the NPA has introduced a lot of transformation in the ports to ensure transparency in the operations.
He said, “Our vision to be the maritime logistics hub, providing sustainable port services in Africa is tied to this imperative of elimination of corruption. We understand that Nigeria has the greatest opportunity in Africa as the largest black nation.
“Every agency has to play a role to infuse integrity, accountability and transparency in all dealings to ensure that the interactions are done with due diligence in order to curb corruption”.

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