The Federal Government has approved N180 million to empower the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) to combat corruption and prevent other maritime crimes at seaports across the country, the Federal Ministry of Transportation has said.
This was made known on Wednesday at the 3rd round table discussion on Maritime Sector Reforms, titled “Consolidating the Gains,” which was organized by the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) and Convention on Business Integrity (CBI).
Dr. Magdalene Ajani, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, represented by Babatunde Sule, stated that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) have been instructed by the Federal Government to provide funds and operational vehicles for the Port Standing Task Team.
Each government agency has been directed to provide N60 million to the Port Standing Task Team to continue the anti-corruption campaign across the country’s ports.
She indicated that under the port administration policy, port users have the ability to request, monitor, and ensure better compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by government agencies, resulting in a decrease in incidents of corrupt demands concerning vessel clearance.
Additionally, she mentioned that the government is improving its ability to establish policies for compliance systems and cooperate with the private sector and civil society to enhance trade flows and facilitate business operations.
“The Federal Ministry of Transportation through the NSC, the Technical Unit on Government and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in collaboration with the MACN and CBI, Nigeria have built maritime sector is poised to augment its standing by further institutionalizing and continuously sustain its reforms,” she added.
Conversely, the National Coordinator of PSTT, Moses Fadipe confirmed that Federal Government approved N180 million for the operations of the task team, saying that only Nigerian Shippers’ Council being the leading agency has responded to the Government’s instruction.
He revealed that other agencies, which include NIMASA and NPA, are yet to respond and the PSTT has not receive anything from them.