Following several motions calling
for an enquiry into malpractices in the maritime sector, especially with
respect to agencies such as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the National
Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), the House of Representatives on Monday
kicked off its investigation into the allegations.
Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, while speaking at the hearing, noted that
the allegations raised were very weighty, with potential to seriously affect
the economy.
He said: “While I commend the
Executive Arm, and particularly the managements in the Maritime Industry for
their efforts to reposition the Nigerian Maritime Industry for improved service
delivery and enhanced contribution to economic growth, I must say that the
maritime industry in Nigeria is yet to attain the desired and expected status
of becoming the hub for international freight and trade in West Africa.
“In this regard, it has been
observed that over the years, the Nigerian maritime industry has failed to
attract the required local and foreign investment inflow that is proportionate
to its contribution to both the Nigerian and West African economy, despite its
great potential and enormous investment opportunities.”
He described as unacceptable, a
situation whereby ports in other West African nations would deliver better and
more efficient services than Nigerian ports.
“According to the National Bureau
of Statistics in March 2018, Nigeria’s Ports dropped down the global ratings
basically due to bad infrastructure. Interestingly, major competitors in the
West African region, such as the Port of Lome in Togo, Port of Dakar in
Senegal, and the Port of Cotonou in Benin Republic, all deliver better
efficient services than the Nigerian Ports. This is really not acceptable.
“Some of the problems that have
been identified as the reasons why the Nigerian Ports are performing so poorly
include bad infrastructure, high cost of doing business and low draught at a
lot of our major waterways. It is our hope that the Legislative exercise being
carried out through this Committee will proffer lasting solutions to these
problems.”
Dogara further highlighted other
factors militating against the development of the maritime sector, including
alleged arbitrary increases in charges by terminal operators, inefficient
collection and accounting procedures, and contract repetitions and payment of
huge commissions to service providers compared to remittances to the Federation
Account, among others.
“If these allegations are
anything to go by, we can understand why the sector has recorded persistent
decline in performance and economic growth over the years. Suffice it to say
that these are serious allegations which need to be looked into”, he said.
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