Harboursandport.com: Lagos --- Immediate past National President of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu, has blamed the Federal Government for encouraging corruption in port operations in the country.
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| Immediate past National President of the ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu |
Shittu who made this known at the 3rd Taiwo Afolabi Annual Maritime Conference put together by the Maritime Forum of the University of Lagos in conjunction with the Sifax Group, said that government inability to harmonise operations at the port has made it easy for corruption to strive.
The former ANLCA boss noted that instead harmonising all the agencies at the port under one Ministry, they are all reporting to different ministries making it difficult to work in Unity.
He pointed out that each ministry is working for its own interest of the interest of the nation.
He also blamed government for always setting targets for Nigeria Customs Service, NCS which empowers the Service to work at achieving the target as well as working for themselves.
According to him, “There are problems in maritime industry and the performance ratings are not perfect. It is only in Nigeria here that all government officials belong and giving their loyalty to different ministry headed by ministers who are interested in maximizing income to their ministry.
“All the government agencies today belong to different ministers and there is no inter-ministerial platform, we do not have the lead agency so it is every man for himself; God for us all.
“Nigerian Customs Service today, because the target is increase every day by the federal government, it becomes a fertile ground for the operatives to help the government meet the target and meet their own target, so it goes round.
“I have to mention the police, even now the road safety; they are going to be moving into the port because if the road is bad road safety should be there. So the port has been turned to a place of survival, let everybody go and get.
“It is the terminal operators that come to mind when because they handle the cargo. What I am appealing to them is to open dialogue of stakeholders, let them know there is need for this increase and stop the blame.
“You discover that shipping companies themselves; why will a shipping agent charge terminal charge when they do not have a terminal? And nobody there to caution them and I have to take the vengeance of taken a shipping company to court that lasted for about six to seven years, where is the patience to go to court, even though I am happy that I won the case; how many of us can go to court every morning?
“If the government create an enabling environment for port operations, then there would be hope. I am happy that just as Chief Adebayo Sarumi said, that even when he was granting concession to ENL to handle container, somebody was saying “no, you cannot”. Why the interference? When the idea is for you to privatize and then give us two operators to create completion. That is the problem.
“The original planning of these terminals, I said it earlier, did not allow the terminal operators to allocate specific services to specific areas. Back then we do not even have lay-by for empty containers, offices for Customs, holding bay, etc.
“Now they are relying on the government to force these companies to have holding bay since they are the owners of the container. While the shipping lines today in their corporate affairs commission, our big men; they owe them. So when complain, who will enforce the law. It is therefore one way of direction.
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