Seaport eviction: NPA MD apologised over mistake —NDLEA

THE Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has said that the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman apologised to the anti-narcotics agency shortly after omitting its name from the list of agencies approved to operate at the seaports. This is even as the NDLEA revealed that NPA was not on the original list of agencies approved to operate at the ports in 2011/2012.

Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune exclusively, Spokesman of the NDLEA, Ofoyeju Mitchell, explained that not mentioning NDLEA in the list of approved agencies was an omission by the NPA Managing Director.

According to him, “the person that signed the NPA statement is not informed, and I don’t know why he is deliberately misinforming the public on such a sensitive issue. I don’t know who he is working for.

“Because if the Managing Director of the NPA later made a clarification when her attention was drawn to it, that she didn’t mention the NDLEA in the list of approved agencies to operate at the seaports, and she apologised and made clarifications, who is that person signing NPA statement to still go ahead and issue another information which still does not include NDLEA in the list of approved agencies to operate at the ports?”

When reminded that at the stakeholders meeting, the NDLEA was not mentioned in the list of approved agencies to operate at the seaports, Ofoyeju explained that it was a mistake from the NPA Managing Director.

In his words, “It was a mistake from the NPA Managing Director that NDLEA was not mentioned in the list of approved agencies to operate at the seaports, and she has apologised. I was not at the stakeholders meeting in Apapa, if not so, I would have informed her.

“Okonjo Iweala made the same mistake in 2011, and this created some form of acrimony. I have a document that states that NDLEA should operate at the seaport. In that document, seven agencies were mandated to operate at the seaports, including NDLEA.

“NPA was not part of the list of seven approved agencies to operate at the seaports because they are the landlord of the port. I have a document to that effect.”

It would be recalled that the NPA Managing Director had mentioned the list of seven agencies approved to operate from the ports following an Executive Order issued by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

Among the list of seven agencies are NPA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Port Health, and the Department of State Security (DSS).

In another development, the NPA has back-tracked on its earlier stance that the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) is among evicted agencies from the seaports, and has included the anti-narcotics agency in the list of seaports agencies, thereby bringing the list of the number of agencies that are to operate and have physical representation at the ports to eight.

It would be recalled that the NPA Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman had earlier mentioned seven agencies during a stakeholders meeting held in Apapa last week, with NDLEA not among the list of approved seaport agencies.

In a statement signed by NPA’s Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Ibrahim Nasiru late on Monday evening, the agency stated that a directive communicated to the Managing Director of the NPA in an October 26, 2011 memo from the  Federal Ministry of Transportation, listed the eight approved agencies as: Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA); Nigerian Customs Service (NCS); Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); Nigeria Police; Department of State Security (DSS); Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and Port Health.

It also added that while the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) should remain at the ports, a methodology which would ensure that only relevant cargoes are inspected by the agency, should be worked out.

“Other agencies not mentioned in the list above should remain outside the port premises while the authority develops standard procedures to facilitate their seamless operation.

“The NPA remains committed to the determination of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to improve the ease of doing business in the country, the implementation of the Executive Orders recently issued by Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo as well as the improvement of conditions under which business is carried out in all ports across the country.

“We solicit for the kind support of all agencies and stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime sector towards actualising the noble goal of making Nigeria seaports a destination of choice for all legitimate port users,” the agency stated.