Teddy Oscar, Abuja
The House of Representatives on Thursday ordered a full scale investigation into the operational activities of the concessionaires of the nation’s seaports, and has mandated its committees on Privatisation and Commercialisation, Marine Transport, Commerce, Customs and Excise to conduct a public hearing on that, and report to the House within two weeks.
Hon. Jerry Alagbaoso had sponsored a motion on the need to investigate the operational activities of the concessionaires of Nigerian seaports, in which he noted that these concessionaires operate mainly in Apapa, Tincan, Port Harcourt, Onne, Calabar and Warri ports.
He observed that the concessioning agreement between the Federal Government and the concessionaires, empowered the concessionaires to efficiently handle cargoes in the various seaports and maintain the infrastructure of these concessionaires’ areas of operations.
“The major aim of the concessioning programme was to ensure trade facilitation and greater efficiency in cargo handling and service delivery in all the Nigerian seaports,” he added.
He reckoned that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) is currently faced with operational and infastructural challenges, arising from the unsatisfactory performance of these concessionaires, despite being saddled with a huge responsibility of trade facilitation.
“The incessant reports of infastructural decay, lack of new cargoes’ examination bays, poor service delivery, arbitrary charges in the names of demurrages and illegal movements or stacking of empty and laden containers by some of these concessionnaires to undesignated areas without the consent of the importers or consignees and their clearing agents in various seaports.
“The apparent unsatisfactory performance of concessionaires or terminal operators in the above Nigerian seaports unnecessarily increase the cost of clearing of goods or doing business in Nigeria, thereby negating trade facilitation.
“The need for check mating infrastructural decays, encouraging infrastructural maintenance culture, ensuring efficient cargo handlings in the seaports, sustaining trade facilitation and compliance with international best practises in service delivery,” said.
The concessioning of Nigerian seaports, through the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) and handing over of the certificates of operations to these concessionaires by the Federal Government in 2006.
