Comrade Chinedu Uzokwe (PTD, NUPENG)
Comrade Chinedu Uzokwe (PTD, NUPENG)
I don’t think government should be talking about shutting down private jetties, the Nigerian Ports Authority is aware of the jetties, for example the Ibru jetty and the rest; whatever happens here the NPA is aware of it. But aside the ones that are known and recognized, if there are other ones the government feels its posing threat to the nation’s security, then they can close them for security reasons. Normally, an illegal jetty does not operate at day time; all their businesses are done in the night. If government should close down some of the well-known jetties, petroleum product circulation might become a problem because major marketers cannot supply enough, it is these private depots that are helping out to prevent scarcity of product. Identifying these illegal jetties now depend largely on our water securities.
Comrade Adewale Adeyanju (President, Dockworkers Branch, MWUN)
Why do we have the security agents? I think what we need to do is to empower NIMASA, the Nigerian Navy and the Police to be on ground. We will not say they should close down the jetty because this will not allow dockworkers to do their job, rather, government should focus more on the private jetty owners because of their illegalities, if you close down private jetties, you will be creating unemployment, rather the government should empower the navy and the marine police, including the Nigerian army, to do their job, if they are on ground, nobody will perpetrate any act of insecurity at the jetties.
Mr Lucky Obogo (Petroleum Marketer)
If these jetties are going to pose a threat or be a problem to the nation’s security, I will say that they should be closed down, because they are affecting a lot of things, a warehouse was discovered sometimes ago with ammunitions that are enough to engage Nigeria in war for three years, how did these weapons get there? It definitely cannot come in through the ports, it is through these illegal points, I will always support that government should shut it down, for you to build a jetty or get a license to run it, there are procedures and paper works you need to have gone through, government will come and inspect the facilities to ensure that what you are doing there is legitimate, even barges are not supposed to run on our waterways without registration and license, if the right procedures are not followed government will not be able to trace anything that happens there.
Olanife Adeoye (Oil marketer)
I don’t think anything can happen or come in through any jetty without the knowledge of the naval officers, the officers are there, they monitor everything on the waters and scrutinize everything through strict surveillance, so there is nowhere anything can happen without the security agents knowing, even an ordinary gallon of kerosene on the water they will arrest you, but in most cases they collect money and allow people to go, even sometimes you see people trying to smuggle rice, used textiles through the waters, the security agents will arrest them and collect money and allow them to go. Nothing can enter the private jetties without them being aware of it, the waterways is not a free zone anymore, particularly in this period of Boko Haram. Government cannot close down private jetties, rather they should scrutinize the officers that are supposed to be maintaining surveillance on the waters, they are the ones sponsoring the smuggling of these banned products and items including crude oil. No individual or ordinary citizen can do it because the navy are always on the water with their guns, the problems we are having with the Police on the road is the same we are having with the navy on the waters, yet they are being paid with our taxes.
Commander Sani AJao (Seafarer)
I see no point for government to close down the private jetties, because if the private jetties are shut down, what we are trying to prevent will still come into the country; the atrocities are been committed by the so called upper class. They use their names to cover whatever they are bringing into the country which they claim belongs to the federal government. They use the name of federal government to clear such consignment whereas it belongs to them. During the time of Abacha , Ikorodu jetty was shutdown and up till date, it is yet to regain its activities because of what Great Ogboru brought into the country and we know that the jetty is a private one, thus whether they close the jetties or not, those things will still find their way into the country.
Julius Efokpa (Sec Gen. Merchant Navy)
The fact is that private jetties are loopholes for illegal business and most of the jetties are used for smuggling. And when you look at the situation of the country today, arms come into the country through right, left and centre because Nigeria has not actually defined her boundaries and the smugglers are aware that if they bring in these illegal items into the ports, it must be impounded, thus they use the illegal jetties to bring such things into the country. In my own opinion I feel that private jetties should be shut down because they have no control.
John Okpono (Merchant Navy)
To the best of my knowledge, it is not wise to shut down the private jetties and that is why we always say that there is this Nigerian factor in most issues that need solutions and for the simple fact that somebody has been alleged to import arms through a private jetty does not mean that everybody import arms. So what the government should do is to put a very proper check in those jetties because if you have what it takes to be a private jetty nobody will stop you, thus they should put check in those areas to detect any breach. I do not subscribe to putting a stop to the private jetties.
Michael Emiko (Stakeholder)
Government’s move to shut down private jetties will not solve the problem of importing contraband into the country, but I think that they should send men of the navy and customs and even employ merchant navy to assist them to check whatever that berth at the jetties. When you shut down the jetty, the ports will experience congestions and we know that the private jetties complement the ports. I am not of the opinion that government should close the privately-owned jetties.
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