Disclosing this to the Nigerian Tribune exclusively, a close source to the Federal ministry of Transportation revealed that the Ministry only realised that the Shippers Council was not co-opted into the port review process months after the process had begun.
According to our source, who declined to have his name in print, as he is not authorised to speak on the matter: “It’s like the NPA does not see any reason why the Shippers Council should be part of the port concession review process. In short, when the NPA initiated the process, the Shippers Council was not mentioned among the list of agencies that should work on the process.
“There is this feeling that since the Shippers Council was not part of the port concession process from inception, why bring them in now?
“Again, since the port concession review is majorly going to look at reviewing the Lease Fees and Cargo throughput fees being paid to government by the terminal operators, including the existing agreement and their durations, some people in the NPA feel there is no need bringing in the Shippers Council onboard the port concession review process.
“To them, the port concession review process is not looking at charges as it relates to between terminal operators and cargo owners. Rather, the port concession review is looking at agreement signed in 2006 between government and the private investors.
“However, the attention of the Federal Ministry of Transportation has been drawn to the absence of the Shippers Council in the port concession review process by the agency itself, and the Ministry is looking at what is best for the nation.”
The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman had, at the International Association of Ports and Harbour (IAPH) held recently, said the review of the concession agreement would be ready in three months.
“It will be ready in the next three months. We are talking with the terminal operators. We have an inter-agency which has all the agencies of government that are part of the concessioning process, that is the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Bureau of Public Enterprise(BPE), Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Federal Ministry of Transportation, NPA and we also have technical support from the World Bank,” the NPA MD had stated.
Days after the utterances of the NPA Managing Director, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Hassan Bello warned that there won’t be a meaningful port concession review without the involvement of the council.
Hassan Bello while speaking on the sideline of the Sub Regional Workshop and Joint Standing Committee Meeting of the Union of African Shippers’ Council (UASC) hosted decently by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council stated that, “There is a review of port concessioning going on, but for now, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council is not participating, and Nigerian Shippers Council is a representative of so many things.
“You cannot have a meaningful port concession agreement without the Nigerian Shippers Council. So, I am aware that the federal ministry of Transportation is looking at this because one have to accommodate the interest of all users because this is what happened in the first instance when the negotiations of the port concessioning was inclusive, we were not involved and we should operate an open society.”
“Enemies of open society won’t succeed on this port concessioning. Shippers Council will insist that it should be part of the review of the port concessioning agreements because the Nigerian Shippers Council is the port economic regulator and is the representatives of the users and also the providers of shipping services. We need to have everyone come together because, like it is said, you can’t shave someone’s hair in his absence.”
and then