It is understandable that Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman is eager to make a mark within the short time that he has as the minister of transport, hence his determination to take on issues that have been plaguing the industry for a while. One of such issues is the need to properly regulate the transport sector and most especially, the maritime industry.
This desire probably informed his buying into the politics of the National Transport Commission (NTC) which has at different times pitched the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the Ministry of Transport, the National Assembly and maritime sector stakeholders against one another. The last factor in the scheming is the National Infrastructural Regulatory Commission (NIRC) which has been an ally of BPE.
The BPE has always wanted the NTC as transport (including aviation) sector regulator, superintending all modes of transport, while the National Assembly (buoyed by its marine transport committees) wants a sectoral regulator; albeit as an integral part of the proposed port sector law; that is, the Port and Harbour Bill.
It is an open secret that both the BPE and the transport ministry are opposed to the NTC for different reasons. While the BPE wants the commission as an extension of its empire (post- port concession), the ministry of transport has always wanted a NTC which will spring-off from an existing agency under it. It is on record that a former minister of transport, Mrs Deizani Allison Madueke had once openly canvassed actually worked for one of the agencies under her ministry to transmute to the NTC.
On its part, the National Assembly has also not hidden its opposition to the NTC; its marine committee in the lower chamber has also done all that is needful to ensure the passage of the Port and Harbour Bill. The Bill is currently awaiting passage at the House or Representatives; that is after being subjected to first and second reading as well as a public hearing and a parley with a select team of stakeholders in Abuja.
Surprisingly, after stakeholders have long forgotten about the controversial National Transport Commission (NTC), it recently resurfaced through a ministerial committee which held a stakeholders parley in Lagos to collate inputs on the matter. It is equally shocking that the committee which is headed by Dr Elias also drew its membership from among those who played very critical role in the events that led to the consensus that gave rise to the final draft of the Port and Harbour Bill which incorporated the Independent Port Regulatory Commission.
These stakeholders, not only supported the ports bill, they also objected to the move to ensure that one of the agencies under the ministry transmuted to the NTC yet they eagerly accepted to serve on yet another committee which had a specific terms of reference that it should examine the possibility of transforming an existing agency to the NTC.
Good enough, majority of those who attended the forum seized the opportunity to once again express their opposition to the idea of creating a bogus commission to superintend affairs of users and providers of transportation services in Nigeria.
This newspaper has had reason to advise that rather pursue so many agenda, the minister should limit himself to what is achievable within the 13 months he has. The ambition for the actualisation of a NTC appears too tall, unattainable and ill-advised.
Of what is it for the minister to spend the little time that he has to prosecute the NTC dream when he could actually spend less time to persuade the National Assembly to pass the Port and Harbour Bill, which in any case will proffer solutions to the perennial post-port concession conflict in the nation’s seaports? Since he had set up a task force to look into the conflicts that are frequently arising from charges that are imposed by terminal operators, and since port users have variously brought it to his attention that the absence of a commercial regulator is the major cause of the conflicts, what the minister would have concerned himself with is to push for the passage of the ports bill.
Since the port were concessioned and since the BPE started lobbying for the establishment of National Transport Commission, Nigeria has had at least three ministers who had more time to get the NTC bill considered, they never did. They also had ample time to lobby the law makers to pass the Port and Harbours Bill, they didn’t, the incumbent minister will do himself a lot of good and write his name in gold if (rather than taking several steps backward), he could back the popular agitation for the port bill.
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