Ports Concession: Shippers Accuse NPA Of Selling Birth Right

Years after the ports were concessioned by the federal government to foreign investors; the Shippers Association of Lagos has lampooned the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), saying that the agency has sold its birth right. 
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily last week in Lagos, the president of the association, Rev. Jonathan Nicole also said that the concession agreement was partial as it favours the concessionaires more than the government.
 He also lamented that while signing the agreement, proper provisions were not made for Nigerian shippers and even manufacturers.
“Talking about the concession agreement, it favour the private investors 95%, they have no responsibility to anybody other then the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). They forgot that the NPA doesn’t own Nigeria as a country, they are government agencies and the primary duty of any government agency is to protect the government. Without the cargo they will not be there so provisions were not made to protect the shippers. Not even the manufacturers’ because they go through the open market. So of what use is the concession agreement.  
“From my own point of view, there was so much laziness in the NPA that they gave up their birth right. What stopped them from continuing with their operations in the ports as NPA, it is a pride to carry that name that you have control over the ports and the cargo that makes up the ports, it is where the money is”.
He also urged the federal government to terminate the concessions as the nation has not benefitted from them.
“I read of a consultant who wants to review the agreement and the gentleman said that some of those concessionaires may lose their licenses, to me not some, all of them should lose their licenses because we have not benefitted from that. Look at the roads, it is a big disgrace to us any contractor that we have to give our ports should be able to maintain the roads. Yes we have problem of parking in those days we have holding bays inside the ports when you offload you park there because you will use it tomorrow. That is what Dangote is doing, have you ever seen Dangote truck littered on the roads. Because he has been able absolve all his trucks in his terminal so why can’t we do that. They have nothing to offer this country other than to take our money and they are taking it with impunity and we don’t want such people they should go. If they know they cannot manage the ports we can raise people to manage the ports. There are people more experienced than the people managing the ports now in Nigeria, so why can’t we use them”, he stated.