By Chiduben Anthony
All maritime regulatory agencies were involved in the review of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA) framework to ensure that it had no duty overlap before it was transmitted for presidential assent, the General Manager, Corporate Communications and Strategy, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ikechukwu Onyemekara, has said.
“Before that bill was sent, all the agencies came together by the directive of the minister. We started looking at all the clauses, and we made sure that there were no overlaps,” he said.
Onyemekara, who spoke in Lagos during an interaction with the members of the executive committee of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN), led by their President, Moses Ebosele, said the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, had always encouraged synergy among the maritime agencies in the interest of the sector.
Consequently, he dismissed concerns about duty conflicts or duplications between the NPA and NPERA as the new port economic regulator comes into effect, replacing the former Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC).
According to the NPA spokesman, the federal government’s objective was to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the nation’s ports rather than create confusion among its agencies.
In the meantime, Onyemekara disclosed that the planned rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Lagos ports would soon commence at the Apapa Port, with the NPA currently sensitising communities around the affected areas on the possible noise pollution from the reconstruction work.
Moreover, he explained that “the reconstruction work is going to be in phases because we don’t want to close the whole port. It’s going to be either by berth or terminal, so that we will still be receiving vessels as the construction itself is going on.”
Similarly, there would be employment opportunities for the youths in the affected communities during the rehabilitation work, “because they will need people to do certain levels of menial or part-time jobs.”
Meanwhile, Onyemekara echoed the minister’s assurance on the rehabilitation of the Eastern Ports as part of the federal government’s broader plan to improve port infrastructure across the country to serve the communities and industries in their respective regions.
