Amaechi Assures to Support Shippers Council on Implementation of Port Process Manual
Pic 3 Minister of Transportation, Mr Chibuike Amaechi briefing State House Correspondnts after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday (2/1/18) 0015/2/1/2018/Callistus Ewelike/NAN
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) has received the strong backing of the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, in the enforcement of the Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM) to reduce corruption in the nation’s ports.
Amaechi who spoke during a stakeholders meeting held in Abuja said the Ministry of Transportation would be read to support the Council in form of ensuring compliance, enforcmeent and implementation of NPPM to reduce corruption at all levels in the maritime industry.
The minister described the Process Manual on Port Operations as one of the key indicators for the effective implementation of Executive Order 1 issued in 2017 for the promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment.
He added that the successful implementation of the ports access manual would complement the modernisation of critical transport infrastructure introduced by the present administration in the ports.
Amaechi said, “The maritime sector offers the best alternative for economic diversification as it has the potential for employment, investments, and as an outlet for the facilitation and strengthening of Nigeria’s international trade.
“Nigeria’s Shippers Council (NSC) Is to drive the process and implementation of the Process Manual.
“However, I urge regulatory authorities, operational agencies, service providers, users of shipping services and other stakeholders to support and comply with Government’s extant directives and the provisions of the NPPM.
“The NSC being the lead agency for the implementation of the Manual, shall coordinate the implementation of the Manual and ensure strict compliance with the rules. NSC also reserves the right to handout sanctions to any agency, service providers and users of shipping services for noncompliance as provided under its economic regulatory mandate.
“The Ministry shall lend its support to the NSC in ensuring compliance with the Manual by all stakeholders, not only in the implementation of the Manual but in other areas such as enforcement. ”
Executive Secretary of NSC, Mr Hassan Bello said the meeting was aimed at securing the support and collaboration of regulatory agencies, service providers and consumers of shipping services on the implementation of NPPM.
According to Bello, “The NSC does not see the appointment as conferring any superiority over other regulatory agencies or stakeholders but consider it as an act of service towards achieving government desire of eradicating corruption at the port in order to promote ease of doing business in the transportation industry in Nigeria.”
It would be recalled that the federal government had in December appointed the NSC as the lead agency for the implementatin of the NPPM.
With the appointment, the Council is saddled with the task of overseeing ports operations on daily basis.
Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo while launching the NPPM last year at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said implementation of the NPPM will improve the anti-corruption ranking of the country before the international community.
Speaking during the launch of the NPPM , Osinbajo said apart from achieving efficiency in pots operations, there was the need for an effective implementation of ideas that will change the perception and ranking of Nigeria in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of Transparency International.
He said that the process manual was aimed at addressing vulnerabilities in the port system, adding that it will create an enabling environment for port users.
He said, “An effective successful systemic intervention in the port sector will rapidly change the narrative, the perception and the ranking of Nigeria in the CPI. The Process Manual on Port Operations is expected to be one of the key indicators for the effective implementation of Executive Order 01 issued essentially to promote transparency and efficiency in the business environment, and designed to facilitate the ease of doing business.”
Amaechi who spoke during a stakeholders meeting held in Abuja said the Ministry of Transportation would be read to support the Council in form of ensuring compliance, enforcmeent and implementation of NPPM to reduce corruption at all levels in the maritime industry.
The minister described the Process Manual on Port Operations as one of the key indicators for the effective implementation of Executive Order 1 issued in 2017 for the promotion of transparency and efficiency in the business environment.
He added that the successful implementation of the ports access manual would complement the modernisation of critical transport infrastructure introduced by the present administration in the ports.
Amaechi said, “The maritime sector offers the best alternative for economic diversification as it has the potential for employment, investments, and as an outlet for the facilitation and strengthening of Nigeria’s international trade.
“Nigeria’s Shippers Council (NSC) Is to drive the process and implementation of the Process Manual.
“However, I urge regulatory authorities, operational agencies, service providers, users of shipping services and other stakeholders to support and comply with Government’s extant directives and the provisions of the NPPM.
“The NSC being the lead agency for the implementation of the Manual, shall coordinate the implementation of the Manual and ensure strict compliance with the rules. NSC also reserves the right to handout sanctions to any agency, service providers and users of shipping services for noncompliance as provided under its economic regulatory mandate.
“The Ministry shall lend its support to the NSC in ensuring compliance with the Manual by all stakeholders, not only in the implementation of the Manual but in other areas such as enforcement. ”
Executive Secretary of NSC, Mr Hassan Bello said the meeting was aimed at securing the support and collaboration of regulatory agencies, service providers and consumers of shipping services on the implementation of NPPM.
According to Bello, “The NSC does not see the appointment as conferring any superiority over other regulatory agencies or stakeholders but consider it as an act of service towards achieving government desire of eradicating corruption at the port in order to promote ease of doing business in the transportation industry in Nigeria.”
It would be recalled that the federal government had in December appointed the NSC as the lead agency for the implementatin of the NPPM.
With the appointment, the Council is saddled with the task of overseeing ports operations on daily basis.
Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo while launching the NPPM last year at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said implementation of the NPPM will improve the anti-corruption ranking of the country before the international community.
Speaking during the launch of the NPPM , Osinbajo said apart from achieving efficiency in pots operations, there was the need for an effective implementation of ideas that will change the perception and ranking of Nigeria in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of Transparency International.
He said that the process manual was aimed at addressing vulnerabilities in the port system, adding that it will create an enabling environment for port users.
He said, “An effective successful systemic intervention in the port sector will rapidly change the narrative, the perception and the ranking of Nigeria in the CPI. The Process Manual on Port Operations is expected to be one of the key indicators for the effective implementation of Executive Order 01 issued essentially to promote transparency and efficiency in the business environment, and designed to facilitate the ease of doing business.”
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