NPA worried over weak compliance of EO on ease of doing business at ports
…Plans to seek Osinbajo’s intervention
More energies are beginning to flow to the direction of criminalizing breaches of any Executive Order (EO) so handed down by the federal government on any sector of the economy.
It would be recalled that two weeks ago in Abuja, the Minister of Communications, Barr Adebayo Shittu averred that government is about concluding drafting of a Bill to be sent to the National Assembly that will criminalise breaches of either EOs or Presidential Directives so as to hit the real target of the issuance.
Otherwise, worried over the level of non-compliance by some Government Agencies to the Presidential Order on the Ease of Doing Business at the Nation’s Seaports, Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala Usman has threatened to seek the intervention of the Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
Business Hilights recalls that the office of the Vice President oversees the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) which issued the presidential order. The order specially streamlined the activities of all agencies in the nation’s seaports to achieve the 24 hours cargo clearance.
The reaction of the NPA Managing Director is coming in the wake of complaints by some stakeholders that the level of compliance to the Presidential Order by some government agencies, one year after the order was issued has left much to be desired.
Receiving a delegation of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agent (ANLCA) leadership in her office during the weekend, Hadiza Usman said opinion that the way some government agents float the order has limited its positive impact and the Federal Government needs to know those floating the rules.
Bala Usman, who was responding to ANLCA leadership complain of some operational difficulties and encumbrances at the Ports, explained that it was regrettable that some agencies have not fully complied with the order.
However, while assuring that the Authority would continue to fulfil its own part of the order she lamented that the organisation has the limitation of compelling other agencies to do what they are supposed to do under the presidential directives.
NPA is implementing its own part of the order. “We cannot compel the other agencies to do what they are supposed to do” he said, adding that aggrieved stakeholders should also inform the appropriate authorities of defaulting government agencies.
On the complaint by ANCLA on the activities of the Marine Police Command, the Managing Director who also frowned at the report of incessant ease of multiple checks by even after existing the ports, said she would report the matter to the Inspector General of Police for necessary action, in view of the alleged cases of extortion.
Earlier, National Vice President of ANCLA, Dr. Kayode Farinto had told the Managing Director the need to intervene to ensure that officials of the Nigerian Agricultural Quarantine are prevented from entering the ports and also appealed that NPA should ensure that the newly constructed temporary Truck Park at Tin Can Island Port (TCIP) is put to immediate proper use.
