Ports managers in West and Central African countries have been advised to adopt the provisions of the Nigerian Port Environmental Policy for their ports environment requirements.
Giving the advice, the managing director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Malam Abdulsalam Mohammed said considering the peculiar environment within which the seaports in the sub-region operate, the Nigerian Port environmental policy will be suitable for ports in West and Central African countries.
The NPA boss gave the admonition while making a presentation in a paper titled, “Implementing Port Environmental Policy – The case of Nigeria”, at the just concluded 33rd Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) Council meeting, which took place at Banjul, the Gambia.
Abdusalam, who was represented at the occasion by the Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex (LPC) Mr. Joshua Asanga, explained that the goal of the Nigerian Ports Environmental Policy is to achieve and sustain a healthy environment that will be conducive to safe, secure and unhindered maritime transport, adding that the, “Policy aims at cooperating with other countries, International organizations and agencies to achieve optimal use of trans-boundary maritime transport and effective prevention or abatement of trans-boundary environmental degradation.”
He pointed out that the Nigerian Port Environmental Policy which is from the national environmental Policy is anchored on the sustainable development principles which encourage pollution prevention, control and clearing up in the Port industry.
On sanitation and waste management in the nation’s ports, the NPA boss reiterated the efforts of the port management to handle both the ship and port generated wastes in the nation’s seaports.
To meet all the requirements of handling all ship generated wastes, as stipulated by the MARPOL 73/78 convention, he said the NPA had in 2005, entered into contract with African Circle Limited (ACL) to provide port waste reception facilities in its four navigational districts in Lagos, Bonny/Port Harcourt, Calabar and Warri.
He said between its inception in October 2004 to April 2010, a total number of 20,148 ships with a cumulative GRT of 348, 894, 656 has been inspected for MARPOL compliance, 70,141 metric tons (mt) of waste oil and 5,148,787 kilogram of garbage have been collected and disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.
Under the port generated wastes, Malam Abdulsalam explained that as a regulator under the present concession regime, the NPA require Environmental Management Plan (EMP) from each terminal operator as approved by the organization’s environment department.
“Conscious efforts have been made to bring in the private sector to partner with public sector in the implementation of Port environmental policy adding that the Authority has a satisfactory working relationship with Messrs Marine Mutual Services Ltd as well as Lagos Channel Management and Bonny Channel companies respectively”, the MD said.
Secretary General of Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) Mr. Magnus Teye Addico paid tribute to late President Umaru Musa Yar,Adua for his contributions to the establishment of the Regional Maritime Development Bank.
Importers commend FG decision over rice importation
Chairman of the Trans Border Traders Association of Nigeria (TBTAN), Alhaji Mikky Okunola, has commended the federal government’s decision to allow importation of rice through the border.
He noted that the decision has not only resulted in the reduction on the prices of the commodity but has led to its availability adding that that in the past, the few people who imported rice through the nation’s seaports played on their monopoly to control the prices of the staple food.
“They space the quantity and number of importation of the product, as well as store the landed cargo in their warehouses until they get their required price before releasing them to the market.”
.on claims that his members do not pay or pay less duty on rice imported through the border, Okunola said it is not true as import duty is circulated based on the price of purchase of the product.
“We buy from the same market at the price of $640 per metric ton and the duty is circulated based on the above price.”
Seme Area Command has continued to rake in huge revenue from rice imported through that border post as attested to by the former Customs Area Controller (CAC), A.O. Aliu, he noted.
“If we have not been paying duty on rice imported through the border, do you think the Customs area command or the head office would allow us bring in the quantity we bring in at a time they are fighting to shoot up their revenue collection,” he questioned.
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