The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has said that the reduction in waiting time for vessels to less than three days from the previous 45 days at Nigerian ports by the Buhari administration is one of the many successes of the administration.
The organisation said this in a statement signed by its chairman Niyi Akinsiju and secretary Cassidy Madueke.
According to the statement, the port decongestion efforts and the reduced waiting time have both contributed to eliminating port congestion surcharge at all six seaports and consequently saved Nigeria’s trading community over 500 million dollars per annum.
“While it is true that the decision to concession the Ports in 2006 has turned out to be a positive one, there is no doubt that the Buhari administration has done a lot to keep all stakeholders happy.
“Which is why we are not surprised that the waiting time for vessels coming into the nation’s ports has been significantly reduced to less than three days at present.
“We invite Nigerians to note that the administration has not relented in keeping the concessionaires on their toes by ensuring that standards are maintained.
“And the fact that this government also made it mandatory for companies seeking renewal of ports concession agreements to show satisfactory evidence of performance, as well as meet key performance indicators, are some of the reasons ports have continued to be efficient.
“Let us also add that the remarkable progress being made in tackling the traffic gridlock on the access roads to the Lagos ports, coupled with the deployment of an electronic call-up system for trucks, called “Eto”, have also been useful in decongesting the Apapa and Tin Can Ports,” the group added.
BMO also said that the Buhari administration was not resting on its oars and was bent on ensuring that the country’s ports remained efficient.
“We agree that there is room for improvement and are hopeful that the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the concessionaires will continue to live up to expectations.
“But we make bold to say that the waiting time will be further reduced by the time that facilities like that of the Lekki Deep Sea Port and the various Dry Ports being put in place by federal and state governments across the country are fully operational.
“In addition to this is the ongoing plan to link all seaports as well as the Inland dry ports to the new nationwide railway network.
Buttressing this, the Chairman, Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup said the Federal Government’s port concession programme has saved the country about US$8.5 billion (N3.91 trillion) which was hitherto paid to foreign shipping lines as congestion surcharge.
The STOAN Chairman also said that members of the association, who are the concessionaires, are ready to inject more funds into the port once pending concession agreements are renewed.
Haastrup said this last week while addressing journalists after a courtesy visit to her by the new Country Managing Director of APM Terminals Nigeria, Frederik Klinke.
“The port concession programme reduced the waiting time of vessels coming into our ports from an average of 45 days before 2006 to less than three days at present. It has helped in eliminating the notorious congestion surcharge hitherto imposed on our ports by major shipping lines under the aegis of the Europe-West Africa Trade Agreement EWATA.
“The elimination of the port congestion surcharge has resulted in saving Nigeria’s trading community over US$500 million per annum. If you multiply that by the 17 years of port concession, that amounts to a savings of US$8.5 billion to date. In naira terms, that is a savings of more than N3.9 trillion to the Nigerian economy,” she said.
The STOAN Chairman said port concession has also led to the injection of private capital into port development; which has helped to free up government resources for other developmental purposes, eliminated port congestion and led to the modernisation of the country’s seaports.
Others benefits of port concession, according to her, include improved availability of cargo handling equipment, increased competition among terminal operators, improved welfare and training of port workers and the institution of a condition of service for dockworkers.
