New Port Bill Will Improve Trade- Shippers’ Council

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has stated that the Bill on the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency, currently awaiting presidential assent, will enhance port efficiency and drive export growth.

Dr. Pius Akutah, Executive Secretary of the NSC, made this known on Thursday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR).

Akutah said that with a new law and a new regulatory agency responsible for port enforcement, there would be enhanced ports, clearly defined mandates of agencies and issues of overlap of duties would be addressed.

“Over the years, there has been a battle with the issue of a legal regime that guarantees the council’s capacity to act as a proper regulator in the sector.

“The minister has taken a step forward, and the bill that was taken to the national assembly for the enactment of the Nigerian Port Economic Regulatory Agency has been passed at the Senate and House of Representatives.

“At the moment, the bill awaits presidential assent and in that bill, enforcement issues were critically dealt with,” he said.

Akutah said the bill, when assented to, would empower oversight committees with adequate supervisory and enforcement powers.

According to him, with the new bill coming on board and the new agency with all the enforcement powers in the law, it will further enhance the quality of work of the committee.

Akutah noted that the steering committee, such as the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT), which oversaw issues around enforcement of the manual as they related to all agencies within the port sector as well as the private sector, needed to be commended.

The PSTT is a group that works to ensure compliance with the Nigerian Port Process Manual and to promote integrity in the maritime sector.

Akutah lauded the efforts of other committees that had worked to enhance the council’s service delivery and called for the appointment of sufficient members to each team for adequate management.

Akutah also commended TUGAR for its inter-agency collaboration and removal of rivalry between agencies of government at the ports.

He expressed satisfaction with the synergy between agencies working together, supporting and complementing each other to achieve collective and individual agency mandates.

He urged heads of agencies to continue to strive to improve the sector to build the nation’s economy.

On his part, the Representative of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Olusanya Immanuel, commended NSC on working toward enhanced service delivery in ports.

“We are glad to see your level of commitment to the success of this project and of course, the sensitisation of the entire maritime sector.”

Ms Jane Onwumere, Head, Technical Unit of TUGAR, also commended the shipper’s council for the synergy and partnership that had improved the efficiency of Nigeria’s port operations.