From left: General Manager, Western Ports, Nigerian Ports Authority, Arc. Abiodun Gbadamosi, Zonal Coordinator Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service, Assistant Comptroller General Monday Abueh and Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman after the kick-off, 24-hour ports operations at Apapa , Lagos, recently.

 

The Nigerian Ports Authority NPA has flagged the implementation of a single interface of cargo examination by all relevant agencies involved in the examination of import and export cargo at all the nation’s seaports in line with Federal Government’s Executive Order on efficient port operation.

Recall that acting President Yemi Osinbajo had last month issued two executive orders on ways to make the seaports operate efficiently in line with the government’s policy of enhancing ease of doing business in the country.

To this effect, Managing Director of the NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman has directed all agencies that participate in the examination of cargo at all the seaports locations to immediately commence the implementation of the single interface examination point for cargoes at all ports across the country.

The Managing Director said that this new directive is among some of the resolutions reached at a meeting of the implementation committee of the Executive Orders recently issued by the government, which is in tandem with the Executive Order 22.

She said: “With the take-off of this policy, all agencies of government that are required to operate and domicile in the ports, would embark on their activities in the designated locations only. There will be no other form of examination outside of that single interface”.

“Every agency is therefore expected to develop its backend office operations to streamline what it requires to support any historical structure they may have, but no agency should operate outside that interface at any of our port terminals.

All agencies of government that are not domiciled in the ports but are required to provide services should liaise with the lead agency on the modalities to perform their operations when they are required”.

The Federal Government had recently ordered operatives of the Standards Organisation of Nigeria SON, and National Agency For Foods, Administration and Control NAFDAC, among several others were directed to leave the ports premises because they are believed to have contributed significantly to the delays in cargo release and delivery.

In this regard, only agencies such as the NPA, the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Immigration Service, Department of State Services DSS, Port Health, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency NDLEA and the Nigeria Police Force are allowed to operate within the ports, as all other agencies are to operate from outside and only when to come in when they are requested to do so.

The Managing Director however expressed the gratitude of the management of the NPA to all government agencies and stakeholders who have collaborated with the Authority to ensure the implementation of Executive Order 22 ahead of deadline.

She assured that the doors of the authority are open to receive suggestions or complaints about challenges that are encountered in the implementation of this policy and asks for the continued support of all stakeholders towards repositioning the nation’s seaports for optimum efficiency and competitiveness.

The Government’s Executive Orders read in part: “All agencies currently physically present in Nigerian Ports shall within 60 days harmonise their operations into one single interface station domiciled in one location in the port and implemented by a single joint task force at all times, without prejudice to necessary backend procedures”.

“The new single interface station at each Port shall capture, track and record information on all goods arriving and departing from Nigeria and remit captured information to the head of the MDA and the head of the National Bureau of Statistics on a weekly basis.

“Each Port in Nigeria shall assign an existing export terminal to be dedicated to the exportation of agriculture produce within 30 days of the issuance of this Order.

“The Apapa Port shall resume 24-hour operations within 30 days of the issuance of this Order”, among several others.