The Federal Ministry of Transportation on Wednesday said that the Government approved about N180 million for Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) to fight corruption and to prevent other maritime crimes across the nation’s seaports. The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, who was represented by Babatunde Sule, stated this at the 3rd round table discussion on Maritime Sector Reforms: “Consolidating The Gains,” organised by the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) and Convention on Business Integrity (CBI), said that the Federal Government instructed Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to provide funds and operational vehicles for the Port Standing Task Team.
She said that government agencies were instructed to provide N60 million each for the Port Standing Task Team in order to carry on the anti-corruption crusade across the nation’s Ports. However, she hinted that port administration policy was such that port users are able to demand, track, and ensure greater compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by government agencies, incidences of corrupt demands as it ‘relates to vessel clearance have reduced.
