League of Maritime Editors Charges President on Ports Infrastructure, Assent of National Transport Commission Bill, Others
*Identifies poor ports access road, rail links, Second Niger Bridge as priority projects
*Says Buhari needs to intervene in fight against piracy, corruption at ports for international trade to thrive
By Francis Ugwoke
The League of Maritime Editors and Publishers (LMEP) Monday said that President Muhammadu Buhari should use the opportunity created by his victory at the just concluded presidential poll to focus on ports infrastructure development that will bring about multiplier effects on the national economy.
The League said the President’s second coming has become an opportunity to address issues of infrastructure decay in the sector as well as the assent of the National Transport Commission (NTC) Bill which journey dates back to 2008 before it was passed in 2018 by the National Assembly.
In a statement, the President of League, Mr Kingsley Anaroke and Secretary General, Mr Francis Ugwoke, while pointing out some laudable achievements recorded in the sector under the present administration, said that there were still a lot challenges and unfinished tasks that the administration needs to address.
The group while congratulating the President over his victory at the polls called on him to see the port access roads, rail links to the ports and the Second Niger Bridge projects as priority areas that need the urgent attention of the government.
The group pointed out the multiplier effects on the national economy with government attention on these projects and their timely completion as unimaginable.
According to the statement, Nigeria will be positioned as transshipment centre in West and Central Africa if only the issues of poor infrastructure, including road rehabilitation and corruption in the ports sector involving officers and men of the Customs Service are given urgent attention.
The group also said the President needs to now give assent to the NTC Bill and other transport related Bills because of their benefits to the economy.
Noting that the NTC Bill was not given assent last year because of some conflicts observed by the Presidency, the group said that now is the time for the President to act as relevant Ministry and agencies of government have addressed this problem.
“We wish to call on Your Excellency to give assent to the Bill once it is represented. This call is based on the fact that the Bill is all embracing as it sets out to achieve a wide range of objectives that will be of immense benefit to the transport industry and indeed the national economy”, the letter read.
Part of the letter reads:
“As you prepare to begin your second term in office , we wish you God’s wisdom and protection to be able to deliver as President in your campaign promises and expectations to Nigerians.
“We wish to point out that in the nation’s maritime industry where we operate, your administration has recorded some laudable achievements in the past four years. At the same time, we wish to say that there have been a lot of challenges and unfinished tasks that your second coming becomes a big opportunity for the sector.
“Your Excellency, among the areas of concerns of the maritime industry stakeholders which we want your administration to address include:
Port Access roads:
“The roads to the Lagos ports are in very bad condition and require your attention because of the negative implications to the national economy. The rehabilitation on the port access road from Ijora to Apapa is almost ready, and we wish to thank the government, particularly the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPAS) , Dangote Group and Flour Mills Plc and other stakeholders for their efforts. However, the access road from Mile-Two to Tin Can Island Port remains in a terrible state. We wish to call on His Excellency to do something urgently to address the problem. The road has become a death trap to stakeholders . Many Nigerians, including maritime journalists have lost their lives while using the road. The road is currently impassable except with the use of commercial motorcyclists leading to several deaths as a result of accidents. We urge Your Excellency to end this carnage being caused by bad road. This will further position Nigeria as a transshipment base in West and Central Africa that has been threatened as a result of the bad state of the road. Nigeria will earn more revenue when the road is in good condition.
“We also wish that beyond the new Truck Park developed by the NPA, government should encourage more to be able to accommodate thousands of trucks on the Lagos roads. This will address the issue of congestion being suffered by stakeholders who use the ports in Lagos.
Presidential Assent on National Transport Commission Bill , Others
“We note the National Transport Commission (NTC) Bill which journey dates back to 2008 before it was passed in 2018 by the National Assembly. The Bill was brought before Your Excellency for assent but suffered some hitches in this direction due to some conflicts observed by the Presidency. The relevant Ministry and agencies of government were then expected to address this problem. We wish to call on Your Excellency to give assent to the Bill once it is represented. This call is based on the fact that the Bill is all embracing as it sets out to achieve a wide range of objectives that will be of immense benefit to the transport industry and indeed the national economy..
Rail Projects
“The League also wishes to commend the government for the rail projects in the country and wish to say that it is one of the best things that have happened to Nigerians. We also wish to call on the Presidency to ensure that the project covers all geographical parts of the country to take care of the transport difficulties in moving both people and agricultural products to the benefit of farmers.
Second Niger Bridge
“We note the recent contract award for the Second Niger Bridge and wish to urge Your Excellency to ensure that this project becomes a reality with necessary funds made available for its completion as soon as possible. The project is long overdue despite the economic benefits to the country.
Piracy, Corruption in Ports
“As media practitioners, we wish to draw the attention of the President to issues of piracy in Nigeria’s territorial waters and Gulf of Guinea. We note that the government through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has made some efforts to address this problem. However, we wish to call for continued and more spirited efforts on the battle against piracy and armed robbery attacks on our waters to rid the nation of threat to international trade. The maritime regulatory agency and the Nigerian Navy need to be empowered to the teeth in all they need to be able to stop the pirates/armed bandits in their criminal tendencies that have posed a lot of economic threat to international trade.
“We also wish to call on the government to do more in the fight against corruption at the ports. We note that the present management may have done its best, but more needs to be done because the issues of corruption have remained unabated and in new forms at the seaports, airports and border posts. This has made cost of doing business in Nigeria costly, in what has become an opportunity to neighbouring ports with increased smuggling activities”.
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