NPA Promises To Eliminate Widespread Corruption At Ports

After several reports of corruption at the ports, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has said that it has taken measures to eliminate massive corruption and other criminal practices at the nation’s seaports.

Mohammed Bello-Koko, Managing Director of the NPA, said that the maritime enterprise would follow the standard operating procedures as stipulated in the Nigerian Port Process Manual (NPPM) to deal with this challenge.

"Our quest is to promote operational excellence at the seaports and terminals. We are cleaning up the system to make for smooth service delivery", Bello-Koko said during a courtesy call with members of the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN).

Ibrahim Nasiru, who acts as the General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communication of the NPA, said that the MD was only appreciating the positive role the network was playing towards enabling a conducive environment for doing business in the maritime industry.

He also praised the organization for promoting the benefits of good business conduct and enlightening stakeholders about the negative impact of corruption on the country's image and global standing.

The NPA chairman expressed satisfaction that the Federal Government's anti-corruption reforms had significantly reduced corruption and related crimes in the Nigerian port and shipping sector.

He also acknowledges the progress the NPA has made thanks to the support it has received from the government.

"We have seen the progress recorded in port operations and the revenue into government coffers; it shows that sooner than later, the port industry in Nigeria will become the most attractive maritime cluster in the region, going by our market share and capacity."

He believes that now that the bottlenecks associated with vessel sailing and berthing have been identified and addressed, the focus should shift to the ease of cargo clearance at the port and ways to increase the global competitiveness of the country's exports.

The MD believed that the collaborative efforts of all stakeholders at the port were needed to help improve the turnaround time for clearing goods at the ports.

Koko advocated for improved collaboration among the critical government agencies involved in maritime trade in accordance with the NPPM and the protocols governing the ease of doing business at the port.

"This will bring an end to long delays in cargo examination, boost the country’s international trade, generate thousands of jobs, increase revenue for the government and raise profits for private enterprises," he said.

Soji Apampa, the MACN team's leader, had previously stated that the purpose of the visit was to inform NPA of the accomplishments made in collaboration with other key stakeholders.

"Our goal is to engender zero tolerance for corruption in the ports; we also want to remove opaqueness in port operations in line with international best practice," he said.

He observed that the Nigerian port ecosystem had changed for the better in the last three years, with reported demands made by corrupt public officials on shipmasters and shipping agents during the vessel clearance process falling from three to two digits.

He also informed the public that his organization had trained over a thousand port personnel, including NPA, Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service, and other agencies.

Apampa asked NPA management to keep the collaboration with his group going, and he requested more support in terms of logistics and manpower deployment.

He assured NPA management that the group was ready to provide technical support and training to authority staff, leveraging MACN's affiliation with World Maritime University.