Fresh facts on why the Ports and Harbour Bill has not seen the light of day at the National Assembly has emerged, even as the Nigerian Ports Authority branch of Senior Staff Association of Corporation, Transport and Communication (SSACTAC) has advised the lawmakers not to be in a hurry to pass the law.
Fresh facts on why the Ports and Harbour Bill has not seen the light of day at the National Assembly has emerged, even as the Nigerian Ports Authority branch of Senior Staff Association of Corporation, Transport and Communication (SSACTAC) has advised the lawmakers not to be in a hurry to pass the law.
President of the group; Comrade Omeiza Jimoh Umar in an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week advised that the lawmakers should take their time to look at the critical aspects of the Bill in other to strike a balance and be able to bring out a law that will profit the Nigerian maritime sector.
Umar stressed that Nigeria cannot afford to pass the Ports and Harbour Bill in isolation of the entire world. According to him, the world is a global village and Nigeria seeks to be the maritime hub in the whole of Africa.
He also pointed out that one of the reasons the law is being delayed is as a result of the Orosanye committee that was set up to look into the multiplicity of government agencies in the country.
According to him, since the Ports and Harbors Bills seeks to create a port regulator, the lawmakers are merely being careful not to create something that will lead to multiplying cost of government.
“What usually gives us problem in this country is that we are always in a haste, what I know about the lawmakers is that they will like to know: how is Hong Kong a hub in their region, they want to see how Singapore is doing in their region, check the precedence of all the Asian countries, how are they surviving, they must check out all these fact because they cannot pass the Ports and Harbor Bill in isolation of the entire world”
“The world is a global village so they shouldn’t rush it, they should not be in haste, they are moving at the right pace, even if they cannot finish it now, the next dispensation will take it and get it and pass it”, he stressed.
Speaking further, Umar stated that, “you cannot continue to duplicate duties and creating departments that will be doing the same jobs. The Oronsanye committee is all about this, so don’t expect the National Assembly after seeing something like that to come back and create something that will lead to multiplying cost of government”.
Umar however advised that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) should be strengthened and empowered to transmute into a standing regulator for the port system.
He said that, “NPA has achieved successes so far, NPA is not moribund, so why would you create another body, why do you duplicate, why don’t you strengthen, dot the ‘i’ and cross the ‘t’ wherever it is necessary and continue”.
“NPA has been the platform to migrate from holistic running of the port to Public Private Partnership, they have a platform for customs to operate effectively, it has a platform even for the navy, it has a platform for immigration to operate, where are you going to create all these things again” he said.
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