The Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Chibuike Ameachi has reiterated the ministry’s commitment to partner with the National Assembly to ensure that the four sectoral bills pending before the upper and lower chambers are passed into law and implemented accordingly.
Amaechi who made this known while delivering a keynote address at a 2-day conference on Improved Ports Efficiency in Nigeria, organized by the Maritime Correspondents’ Organization of Nigeria (MARCON) in Lagos Wednesday, mentioned the pending bills before the National Assembly as the Nigeria Railways Authority bill (2015), National Transport Commission bill (2015), Nigerian Ports and Harbour Authority bill and the National Inland Waterways Authority bill.
Speaking further, the Minister said that the maritime sector was largely private sector driven with government providing the appropriate policy and regulatory framework.
The Minister added that “the present administration is committed to discourage the long haulage of containers through the highway. The gridlock constantly experienced by trucks and motorist going to and from the road to Nigerian ports is unacceptable.
“Government is determined to revamp the railway sector to further encourage shippers to utilize the railways in order to avoid the proliferation of privately owned and operated road haulage services which has resulted in the unregulated and chaotic situation on roads that lead to the ports”.
He also disclosed that the River port in Onitsha, Anambra State has been completed and commissioned, noting that the process for its cconcession was in progress.
“The overriding objectives of all these efforts are to ensure cost effective and efficient port services comparable to what obtain in advanced maritime nations and also it make Nigeria the maritime hub for movement of goods and passengers between the West and Central African Coastal Regions and the rest of the world”.
Speaking earlier, President of MARCON, Mr. Ismail Aniemu said that there have periodic sectoral conflicts between stakeholders which would appear the required nexus has been founded on quicksand.
The MARCON boss reiterated that under the Ministry of Transportation, parastatals heads were majorly on acting capacity which in turn affected quick decision making in terms of efficiency and operation.
Sighting instances, he noted that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and Nigerian Airspace Management authority (NAMA) were some of the agencies with leadership question mark.
Aniemu added that” the media has regularly reported instances of conflicts between terminal operators and port users such as customs brokers and truckers; duplicating roles of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), NIMASA, Shippers and Shipping Lines with the Nigerian Shippers.
“MARCON is concerned that leadership positions in some of the agencies under the Ministry of Transportation are filled in acting capacity and this is affecting quick decision making in terms of efficiency and operation.
“With the present regime’s pace of fight against corruption that has affected a number of critical job category in the maritime and aviation industry, we believe the Honourable Minister of Transport is equally concerned and willing to alert President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Executive Council on the need to urgently close the gap”, he added.
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