An inter-agency and port stakeholders committee on the implementation of presidential Executive Order on port operation and ease of doing business has passed a resolution seeking the massive reduction of staff from all agencies operating the ports.
The 27-member committee was chaired by the General Manager, Western Ports of NPA, Arc. Abiodun Gbadamosi.
The essence of the recommendation among others, is to reduce agencies’ personnel boarding vessels for Port State Control in other to reduce delays of vessel.
The report also recommended the reduction in the number of other government officials that board vessels calling at the port and elimination of delays caused by the officials before the commencement of ship discharging activities.
Agencies expected to comply in the personnel reduction order include the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Port Health Services (PHS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and NIMASA.
Other recommendations of the committee include that the Federal Government to prevail on government agencies operating at the port to develop electronic database of their operations as a means of checking touting and other illegal activities.
It was also recommended for port agencies to eliminate multiple checks usually carried out on imported cargoes by Customs and other government officials as well as the streamlining of cargo clearing processes such that the processes will terminate inside the port terminal.
Additional recommendations include the introduction of new port passes and electronic access control; regulation of human movement at the port; issuance of identity cards with biometric information of port workers and port users; coordination of joint security patrol by security officials and the creation of jurisdictional boundaries at the ports.
The white paper also called for the handling of export cargo consolidation outside the port premises; cessation of export operation at the main port gate; uniform export procedure across Customs commands and the relocation of government officials from the port gate to terminals inside the port.
Business Hilights recalls that the committee was set up on 9th of last month by the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman to draw up guidelines towards compliance with the Acting President’s Executive Order issued in May to deepen efficiency in cargo clearance, enhance 24 hours port operation and boost ease of doing business.
