Amaechi Okonkwo | Port Harcourt
Maritime Anti Corruption Network (MACN) has tasked various officials of the different agencies in the Eastern Ports on their obligation to ensure compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) at the ports.
Programme Manager, Convention of Business Integrity (CBI), Emmanuel Bosah, gave the charge in Port Harcourt during a two-day capacity building training organised by the CBI for officials at the different agencies operating in the ports.
Bosah told journalists on the sidelines of the training that officials of the agencies were now under obligation to strictly follow SOPs, as steps to complying with rules and regulations binding on the agencies in the ports to achieve Nigeria’s targets in Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in the country.
He stated that the aim of the training is to strengthen compliance function by all port agencies and operators, adding that the programme will help to improve their capacity to understand as well evaluate compliance failures and successes.
He said it will help port agencies to strengthen their compliance function, saying part of it is to help them improve their capacity to understand, detect, respond and evaluate compliance failure and successes within their institutions. With that, we will domesticate a system of consequence for those who failed to follow the process.”
On the successes so far recorded on the programme, Bosah stated: “The success of the programme led to Nigeria being recognised for an outstanding achievement by the Basel Institute of Good Governance which is a B-20 hub in Switzerland in anti-corruption and governance.”
This was achieved by the partnership between the Nigerian government, Port agencies, the private sector and the civil society working together to identify and implement solutions relating to Port reforms and ensure that it is sustainable.
On his part, the Information Communication Technology (ICT), Lead for CBI and Integrity Organisations (IOs), Maduka Okafor, explained the role of the ICT Desk, including how it has helped to reduce crime in Nigeria.
He noted that the SOPs training is to keep a check on them so as to remind them to strictly follow their developed and adopted SOPs while discharging their duties at the seaports.
He explained that in the past, there was high rate of complaints about extortions by the vessel companies and ship captains when vessels arrived at the seaports, which is drastically reducing.
He explained that the major stakeholders at the training were agencies that operate at the seaports such as Nigerians Immigration Service, Nigerian Custom Service, Department of State Service (DSS), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), among others, adding that this is the second batch of the training for the southern ports. The expectation is that they will go back and train their agencies on the need for compliance.
Port Service Controller from the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Yusuf Barde, described the training programme as impressive and impactful.
He added that NIMASA has a feedback mechanism as well as reporting procedures put in place already to track all the problems, noting that there is also a strict punitive measure for whoever is found wanting.
He assured that NIMASA is on top of its game, especially in trying to always address issues of this nature.
On his part, the President on Compliance Function, Rivers and Bayelsa Shippers Association, Ofon Udofia, stated that due to some infractions, the eastern ports are not improving, hence the reason the training is done in the region in order to replicate what has been done in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Calabar.
Udofia added that there are issues that must be trashed out such as agencies and officers allegedly extorting money by creating bottlenecks that delay cargoes and end up making those vessels to pay demurrage. This, he said, makes business owners skeptical about Nigerian ports.
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