Mr Bolaji Sunmola is the Chairman of Nigerian Port Consultative Council. In this interview with Oluyinka Onigbinde, he speaks on the challenge of presiding over the port community body. He also speaks on sundry industry issues.
What are your thoughts on the current state of Nigeria port industry and how do you see the PCC contribute to its growth?
Since the advent of COVID, coming to this time now, it has become a global phenomenon. There has been a total change. All these issues have affected global economies. Consumer indices and purchasing power has gone down. The cost of living has gone up. So, bringing this back home, of course, definitely, Nigeria is part of the global community, because we are all one. The vessels that come to Nigeria come from Europe, from the Philippines, come from all over the world, and the phenomenon of economics is always affecting us. So there’s no way this will not impact on our port activities. But is it important for Nigeria to gear up to be able to meet the challenges that this will throw. These are a lot of issues that will definitely impact directly or indirectly on Nigeria’s economy.
One major issue that has been affecting the Nigerian port system is lack of 24-hour port operations. Why do you think it has been difficult for Nigerian ports to operate round-the-clock? And how is the council leveraging on its position as a consultative arm to ensure ports run 24 hours?
Kudos to Nigerian Port Authority for all they have done in the past few years. We are seeing that they are doing well in terms of delivery. Of course that is to ensure that the facilities there and operation runs well. It’s another part of the port system that brings in the vessels, operate the vessels and all of that. Also, we Nigerians ourselves, are we patronizing enough of our ports? Are we really doing enough of what it is expected of us to do? There’s nothing stopping the ports from operating 24 hours. I stand to be corrected. I know 24 hours has been part of Nigerian port operations schedule. There is much work to do for 24 hours. Probably if there are not doing that now, I need to cross check my facts on that. Maybe the other ancillary services which need to be complementary to what Nigerian ports provide are not there. When we are talking of this, we are talking of the security and other agencies that are needed to be part the port operations are not available. Maybe that’s what is left to be delivered. But I know the ports are open for 24 hours’ operations.
What are the basic roles of the NPCC?
I’m sure we are not to reinvent what we do. We have been around for close to 50 – 60 years and we can say the pioneers of this wonderful council have been part of the port system from the ‘go’ in the likes of Alhaji Kareem, Otunba Kunle Folarin and the wonderful Chief Val Usifo, not to mention the silent role played by the former MD of Nigerian Ports Authority, Chief Adebayo Sarumi. Anytime they heard PCC, we would know the wonderful role that we played in terms of ensuring that the ports operate. So, basically, in simple language, PCC is the advocacy and the mouth organ of the port system because it’s the voice of the voiceless in the port environment. We aggregate all the issues within the port system and bring them to the fore. We speak for those who otherwise would not be able to speak. And we push issues from the perspective of the port system. We speak for the perspective of the general synthesizing the feelings of everybody within the port community system and see that we speak for them, where they find it difficult for their voices to be raised. So, you can say we are the voice of the voiceless within the port community system in Nigeria. And that role we have been playing over the years and we intend to double our effort in ensuring that we do more of this, because the requirement for what PCC needs to do is always in the increase from day to day.
So, what strategies is the council employing to see that collaboration between stakeholders and government agencies in the industry is quite smooth?
It’s definitely by engagement; various forms of engagement. It could be at meetings, seminars, and trainings, it could be just like talking to the press. It could be presenting our papers. It could be our press releases. So many ways by which we do our thing. We ensure that our voice is heard. Therefore, where we are invited, we have so many of these which we speak and PCC has never been shy of that. That is the pedigree of this wonderful council. For example, the single window that has now been eventually implemented, for the past 12 to 14 years, PCC has been championing this. In fact, we went to Ghana, Togo, and Benin Republic as at that time to see that what is happening; why they have been competitive in their ports and we find that to our surprise, at least Ghana have already implemented single window from that time. So PCC is there, we are not shy of taking positions on the needs that will move the port environment forward. It will be of benefit when all our stakeholders work at optimum level. NIMASA, Nigerian Pots Authority, Nigerian Shippers Council, and NIWA are all out on this to ensure that we operate optimally and they are pushing the ports, people understand the perspective at which they are working. So in other words, we aid whatever work or policies these wonderful parastatals are pushing forward.
What role is PCC playing in the course for the African Continental Free Trade Agreement and how do you see the AfCFTA impacting the port industry?
Before Otunba Kunle Folarin died, we we had a small committee. But we couldn’t do much on that. Since, after his demise, we are a bit staggered. It’s almost one year or more. We couldn’t do much because nobody saw his death coming. So now we are trying to organize, strategize and structure ourselves. We are trying to link up with a wonderful woman doing the job -Ms. Fummi Folorunsho. I’ve been reading a lot about that. We intend to leverage with her to be able to synergize and see what area which we can work together to bring it into the fore. This is because the African Free Trade is a wonderful phenomenon. We cannot allow for it to go. Africans must trade within themselves. They must make their capacity. All the hindrances limiting our working together must be removed, without even doing so much work on it.
Recently, the government appointed some new head of agencies like the new NIMASA DG, NIWA among others. What is the relationship like between PCC and these agencies?
Historically, the relationship has been good. But what level it is, I am not able to measure that. But frankly speaking, the Nigeria Port Authority has been wonderful. In fact, they have been very supportive to our course in PCC. I would say if not for them, maybe PCC would have died. Even though we keep asking for more, they have been the life wire of PCC. So also, that does not stop us from working with NIMASA, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, NIWA and all of these agencies. We have always had a good relationship with them. But all what we are saying now is that relationship must transcend more than what it is now, because many of them have issues that they are working on.
They want to touch various fields and all that. PCC should be brought into the fore court to be able to assist. We are not even saying we are charging. We can help each other. We are ready to advise for free. We are not charging them to be able to come up with a position that will be more beneficial to our economy, Nigerian government and to the full existence of those parties that are out there. But really, kudos to Nigerian Ports Authority for what they have done for the PCC. But all that will change because we are expecting a new structure. The PCC is not the property of one agency but a property of the whole port community. And we expect that all if these agencies should support PCC. PCC is not about government agencies, we are not for the economy, we are for the people, we are for the system, and we are for the survival of the Nigerian ports economic system. And that’s what we want to achieve.
What’s your assessment of the current Minister of Marine and Blue Economy?
You want to put me on the spot? I’m not going to assess it yet, because we have not met him personally or officially. We are writing to meet the Honourable Minister. I’m sure one or two of our suggestions we are going to discuss with him and then at that point we will be able to make any further comments on the minister.
What are your long-term goals for the PCC and how do you measure success in your new role as its chairman?
We came-in in January and since then it has not been easy. Funding has been a big problem for this council. So we found that there is a lot of restructuring that we need to do in the council. We need to restructure and come in line with the new dictates. We need to assure all members of their interests. Just like I said earlier, everyone within the port community system should be a member of Nigeria Port Consultative Council. But why are they not? So a lot of work has gone into restructuring the ways of the council. I thank God we have a report now. The report is out. We are studying it. We are going to go on that recommendation. I was surprised by that report. The white paper we are developing with a few members who are from the port committee is ensuring the efficiency of the ports. So on that pedestal, PCC members should be all inclusive because everybody should have a voice. We are talking about Nigeria Customs, Nigerian Police, Navy, even extending to the airports.
Every person that is involved and has any trade that has to do with water or marine, has to be part of this, because we want to know everybody and their concerns and all those who are serving within the ecosystem and within the marine and blue economy. We are talking about the marine economy as a whole. We are talking about the bonded terminals, bonded jetties, no matter how small you are, the Nigerian labour system, like the Maritime Workers Union, so that everybody is carried along so that we can have a wonderful port environment where we can showcase it.
How do you measure success?
Yes, in measuring success, it is not by way of coming and shouting that we have done this or that. We want people to give us feedback and we look at the feedback from all the people we speak for or we serve. We ask for their feedback, talk about PCC, give us your report, and talk to the press so that we can know if there is any cost or any part of it that we are lacking, so that we can adjust ourselves. We intend to be make this particular committee of PCC to be very listening. We will listen, we will hear their advice, we will take suggestions and at the end of the day we will come up with our own views and strategy of what we intend the port system to be and it will be strengthened based on facts and figures.
Lastly sir, what would be your advice to the Nigerian Port Authority as to how they can adequately address the issue of the electronic call up system which has not been so smooth?
Coincidentally, that was one of the major seminars called by your beat association MARAN which we attended. It was an eye opener for me to be there and even though there was a lot of interaction between one party. Fortunately, again 2-3 days after, the e-call up came into play and we had the direct result of what happened at Tin Can corridor which has been a place that has been locked off for several years. In fact, for the first time in 10 years, I was able to pass through the bridge and it was really working. So I would say the e-call up is working. You know, for all systems the people too have to be re-oriented. It is not the machines that are the problem; it’s we the people that are the problem. If you have the wherewithal, the results and the resolution that this must work, it must work and that’s what has actually happened. Kudos to Nigerian Ports Authority again
for being able to open this road and kudos to the two port managers, LPC and Tin Can port managers for ensuring the success of this wonderful feat. Yes, like any other system, it could be better, it could be improved, but first let us ensure that the human factor that is making it not to work or delaying it and causing hiccups are removed. For the trucking associations, everybody is trying to create an empire for themselves within the system and making it so difficult and then you have the local voice too organizing themselves and extortion. So it’s just basically the issue of extortion and then the call up has come into play to make sure the movement and everything must be done to ensure that there is no single human infraction that will make the system not to work. We would continue to put an eye and give a report on that on quarterly basis to ensure that where issues are raised we bring it up to the concerned authorities, so that actions would be taken as quickly as possible.
