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The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee tasked to determine why the Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne, Calabar and Onitsha Ports complexes are not being put to maximal use has presented it’s report.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Rep. Buba Yusuf Yakub presented the report during consideration of reports by the House in the Committee of the Whole presided over by Rep. Ahmed Idris Wase on Tuesday.
Buba Yakub stated that the ad-hoc committee held 3 public hearings and 4 stakeholder meetings in different parts of the country and found out some technical and financial constraints as the reasons why these ports are not being used optimally.
He called on the members to consider and adopt the recommendations of the report.
(i) Enhanced Maritime Security
(a) urge the Federal Government to direct the Nigerian Navy to safeguard the waterways and partner with other countries in the Gulf of Guinea Commission as well as relevant security agencies of the United Nations on the need to checkmate the activities of sea pirates in the Gulf of Guinea;
(b) also urge the Federal Government to direct the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to account for the 3% freight charges collected in the last 10 years, having failed to ensure the security of Nigeria waterways;
(c) equally urge for investigation of NIMASA for its failure to secure Nigeria’s waterways despite the huge sums being collected from ship owners;
(d) further urge the Federal Government to fully implement the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences Act which provides for a legal framework to fight piracy and create more conducive maritime environment and the Deep Blue Project (the integrated National Maritime Surveillance and Security Infrastructure);
(e) again urge the Federal/State Governments and Communities to collaborate in handling the issues of piracy, kidnapping and robbery with the responsibility of discouraging the youths from getting involved in those vices;
(f) call on the House to investigate the payment of $50,000 to the Nigerian Navy before escorting vessels to its destination.
(ii) Unreliable Nautical Charts
urge the Federal Government to encourage the Nigerian Navy (NN), which has commenced the actualization of the National Charting Scheme by developing indigenous charting capacity that will not only ensure self-reliance in surveying and charting of Nigerian waters but will also end the practice of sending survey reports to the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO).
(iii) Marking of the Channels with Navigational Aids
urge the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to survey and replace aids to navigating the waterways leading to those ports.
(iv) Poor Road/Railway
urge the Federal Government to facilitate the rehabilitation and re-construction of the Eastern roads/roads leading to the ports, and railways should be given priority attention to link all the State capitals.
(v) Poor/Obsolete Cargo Handling Equipment
(a) urge the NPA to ensure the provision of appropriate cargo handling infrastructure for seamless port operations in the Eastern ports;
(b) also urge the NPA to enforce the provision of modern cargo equipment as a prerequisite for engagement as an operator.
(vi) Tug Boats/Pilot Cutters/Breakwaters
urge the NPA to urgently provide tug boats, pilot cutters and breakwaters for the safety of the waterways.
(vii) Shallow Berths/High Siltation’s
(a) urge the NPA to dredge all the ports to the minimum standard of 9-13 meters so as to allow vessels into those zones and to also reduce siltation;
(b) that the House do further investigate the Ministry of Transportation and the NPA on all the dredging contracts awarded in the last 10 years.
(viii) High Lease/High Port Charges
urge the NPA to review the lease fees and charges for the operators and to also consider deliberate implementation of a regime to reduce port charges in other ports other than Lagos port in other to attract shippers.
(ix) Incentives
urge the NPA to review the 10% incentives given to vessels going to the Eastern corridors by removing the condition attached to it, thereby allowing all categories of vessels to benefit from it and also consider a return to the previous 30% enjoyed by operators.
(x) Collapsed jetties
urge the NPA to urgently effect needed repairs to the damaged jetties at Warri and Onne Ports.
(xi) Communication Facilities
urge the Federal Government to intervene.
(xii) Low Tonnage of Exportation Products
(a) urge the Federal Government to fund the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) so as to be able to build capacity of exporters and make available enough cash crops for export;
(b) also urge the NEPC to work closely with the Ministries of Agriculture and Solid Minerals Development and others stakeholders to promote export oriented items to help the diversification of the economy;
(c) further urge the Federal Government to fund the NEPC’s programme on ‘One-State-One Product’ to stimulate production of Commodities by encouraging each State of the Federation to pick one or more products and develop them for export.
(xiii) Electricity
urge the Federal Government to connect Onne (the free trade zone) to the national grid and to provide electricity for all the ports.
(xiv) Illegal Jetties
Urge the Ministry of Transportation to bring them on board and license them.
(xv) Scanners
(a) urge the Federal Government to invite Siemens to assess the conditions of the Gantric scanners with a view to rehabilitating them;
(b) also urge the Federal Government to lease the handling of scanners to qualified companies while personnel of the Nigerian Customs Service should be trained to man the operations.
(xvi) Onitsha Port Concession
urge the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the National Inland Waterways Authority to review the concession process and conclude it in time for activities to commence in the port.
(xvii) Government Policy
(a) urge the Federal Government to introduce Single Window Environment for one stop shop for the payment of port charges and clearance of imports;
(b) also urge the Federal Government to create market policy or strategy that is relevant to each of the ports;
(c) further urge the NPA, NIMASA and Customs to encourage transshipment from seaports to inland waterways and other incentives to reduce costs, encourage patronage, reduce turnaround time and save the road infrastructure;
(d) again urge the Federal Government to encourage private entities to acquire flat bottoms that do rounds transporting consignments from Lagos to all major Eastern ports as well as bringing export cargoes back to Lagos.
(xviii) Removal of Wrecks
(a) urge the NPA and NIMASA to, as a matter of urgency, ensure the identification and removal of wrecks on the seaways;
(b) also urge the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) to expedite action on the removal of the Rig in Calabar within one month or Intels, the operator in charge of the jetty should be allowed to remove it and be refunded accordingly by AMCON;
(c) further urge the NPA to do a follow-up on the removal of the Rig.
(xix) The Calabar Deep Sea Port
urge the Federal Government to grant Sovereign Guarantee to investors to make the Calabar Deep Sea Port succeed.
(xx) The Rivers Port Situation
urge the Ministry of Transportation to approve expeditiously the complete overhauling of Rivers port as submitted by the NPA.
(xxi) Trade Dispute
(a) urge the NPA to do what it can to resolve the matter since BUA has agreed to withdraw the case from the court;
(b) also urge the Committees on Ports and Harbours, and Waterways to follow-up on the NPA/BUA issue for compliance.
(xxii) Refusal to Honour the Committee’s Invitation/Request for Information
that the House should compel the Management of Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency (NIMASA), and Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to appear before the leadership of the House on their refusal to honour the invitation of the Committee.
From the summary of voting, recommendations (clauses) 1e, 2, 5, 6, 7b-10, 12, 13, 17, 18a, and 20 were voted on and adopted; recommendations (clauses) 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1f, 3, 4, 7a, 11, 14, 16, 18b, 18c, 19, 21, 22 were amended and adopted, and recommendation (clause) 15 was stepped down for further legislative action.