NPPM implementation: NPA, NSC inaugurate Ports Task Team in Rivers
Barth Ndubuwa, Port Harcourt
In line with the Federal Government’s Order of Ease of Doing Business in the country and the need to effectively implement the Nigerian Port Process Manual(NPPM), the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) in collaboration with Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC)and other agencies have inaugurated a Port Standing Task Team in Port Harcourt for Rivers and Onne Ports.
Speaking while inaugurating the Task Team,the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission’s(ICPC) Chairman,Bolaji Owaseyi represented by Prince Hassan Mohammed said the inauguration of the Port Task Team for Rivers and Onne Ports was to enable them commence full operations.
The ICPC chairman said the whole essence of the Task Team is to eliminate logjams and bureaucracy in port operations in the country.
He expressed confidence that with the Task Team’s inauguration,these operational ills will become history in Rivers and Onne Ports.
Mohammed stressed that the Task Team as it is currently constituted will sanitize operations at the two aformentioned ports in Rivers State and indeed nationwide.
In his remarks also, the Acting Managing Director(MD) of NPA, Mohammed Bello Koko said that the inauguration of the Port Task Team for Rivers and Onne Ports for the implementation of the Nigerian Port Process Manual will go a long way to sanitize operations at the ports.
Represented by the Traffic Manager, Rivers Port,Hosea Amin Zakari,the Ag MD said with the achievement recorded by the Task Team in Lagos Ports, it is expected that such feat will be replicated in Rivers and Onne Ports or even surpass the record.
“The Task Team has made remarkable achievements within the short period of its existence, hence the need to broaden the horizon.
It is on this note that we are all gathered here to officially inaugurate the Port Standing Task Team for Rivers Port and Onne Port Complexes. It is believed that members of the team are officers from different organizations with proven integrity and are ready to dedicate both human and material resources towards full implementation of the process Manual,” Koko said.
In their separate goodwill messages, the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS), Area 1 and 2, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS),,as well as the Department of State Service(DSS) threw their weight behind the inauguration of the Port Task Team,noting that it will sanitize the system at the ports and ultimately increase revenue accruable to the Federal Government.
Earlier in his speech, the Zonal Director, South South of the Nigerian Shippers Council(NSC),Ogor Israel had said that the basic aim of setting up the Task Team was to ensure efficiency at the ports, thereby making Nigerian ports one of the best places to do business.
He predicted that very soon insecurity at the ports, especially Rivers Port will become a thing of the past and of course business will start booming in the zone.
Citing the over N60bn said to have been generated by Onne Port in the first quarter of the year,Israel said the best is yet to come and according to him congestion that used to experienced only in Lagos ports have reached Onne Port due to heightened operations.
Highlight of the event was an overview presentation of the Nigerian Ports Process Manual (NPPM) and Port Service Support Portal(PSSP) by the Coordinator-General of the Port Standing Task Team,Moses Fadipe.
