With assurances that government was not out to witch-hunt any operator, the minister of transport, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman last week inaugurated the much-expected committee that will audit the almost four and half year- old port concession programme.
The committee which was inaugurated in Lagos is headed by maritime lawyer; Mr Chidi Ilogu is however starting on a rather shaky credibility note following the discovery that the minister may have been misled into appointing the maritime lawyer to head the very important committee.
Shipping Position Weekly recalls that Mr Ilogu was the lawyer who represented the Seaports and Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (the umbrella body for all terminal operators) at the House of Representatives public hearing on Port and Harbour Bill which held in July 2009 at the National Assembly.
This fact was also corroborated by a cross-section of industry stakeholders; some of whom also alleged that Mr Ilogu may have also represented at least one of the terminal operators in the bidding process between 2005 and 2006.
But while inaugurating the committee in Lagos, the minister had assured stakeholders that committee’s assignment was not targeted at concessionaires, nor was it meant to witch-hunt any operator, even as he stressed that the assignment is to ascertain the veracity of the allegations levelled against the terminal operators by port users.
“Government is not trying to witch-hunt the concessionaires neither are we directing our searchlights on them. We are only trying to find out how well the port reform programme is faring”, he had stated.
Specifically, the committee is expected to ascertain the full port reform objectives of the Federal Government, determine the extent of implementation of the objectives, evaluate the reform performance, ascertain the ports concession programme and the extent of the implementation, evaluate the performance of the Nigerian Ports Authority within the terms of each contract, evaluate the regulatory role of the Nigerian Ports Authority and ascertain the level of effectiveness of the current administrative structure of the Nigerian Ports Authority vis-à-vis its regulatory role.
Vouching for the integrity of the committee members, the minister had said last week affirmed that he has “confidence that this committee, which has been carefully chosen, will do a thorough job and come up with a decisive report, which will form the basis for further government policy direction on the issue and proffer lasting solution to emerging challenges.”
He had also reiterated that ”Government‘s reform agenda for the sector was targeted at improving, enhancing management capability of enterprises; creating a conducive institutional, legal and regulatory framework; developing private sector participation in financing, management and operations of port facilities. ”Other related objective of the reform is to increase the efficiency of port operations; decrease the costs of ports services to the users; decrease the costs to the government for the support of a viable port sector; boost economic activity and accelerate development; make Nigeria the hub for international freight and trade in West Africa.”
Some members of the committee who were contacted on the discovery refused to comment, saying it was beyond them and that our correspondent should direct his enquiries to the ministry of transport.
Efforts to speak with the ministry’s spokesman, Mr Kingsley Agha also did not yield results, as his telephone was switched off.
Discussion about this post