General Manager, Western Ports of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Miss Adenike Sonaike, has warned that NPA will henceforth prosecute any unauthorized commercial drivers arrested within the ports. Sonaike said in Lagos that the NPA will invoke the laws on erring motorists against the current persuasion to transporters to desist from operating within the ports. “We have warned commercial motorcyclists and tricycle operators to stop plying the routes. We have seized several okadas and handed them over to the security men. We have warned that trucks that are not hired, but expecting to be called, should not park along the ports roads. We will no longer tolerate such acts of indiscipline. Anybody caught henceforth will be prosecuted,” she said. Sonaike said the operation of commercial motorcycles, trucks and tricycles around the ports access roads contravened international best practices, stressing that “allowing them to operate negates the standard of the International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) Code and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). She also said that traders, who displayed their wares along the port access roads, were major threats to port users. She warned that the port was a restricted area opened only to those who have business inside the port. House Committee Lauds NIMASA on budget implementation The chairman, House Committee on Marine Transport, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has stressed the need for Government parastatals to expend more of their resources on capital projects, rather than on recurrent budget, praising the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, for already working in that direction. Ugwuanyi, made the observation when he led Committee members on an oversight visit to the agency, reiterating the need for optimal efficiency in the performance of organizations in the maritime industry, for the desired transformation of the maritime sector. Commending the 2013 NIMASA budget performance, the law maker said his team was satisfied that the agency had been spending more on capital projects, especially on cabotage development, than on overhead; and described the trend as a necessity for all sectors of the economy if the nation is to move forward. “We have noted your concerns about the Cabotage Act and have already made a presentation to the House Committee on Rules and Business. Very soon, the amendments will be presented to the House for consideration”, he highlighted, adding that his team was also glad with the level of the agency’s commitment to the Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), as a veritable tool for wealth creation and pledged their unflinching support for youth development in the sector. Speaking further, he indicated that his committee was aware of NIMASA’s vision on the Cabotage Act, especially in terms of desired amendment to the law, to make it more adaptable to the Nigerian maritime realities; assuring that the required law to create a more conducive environment for improved productivity would soon be enacted. He equally lauded the agency’s continued support for the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, adding that the law makers shared the aspirations of the academy, especially towards transforming into a degree awarding institution, in furtherance of the goals of enhanced capacity development in the maritime sector. Earlier in his presentation, the Director General, Ziakede Patrick Akpobolokemi had reiterated his commitment to re-positioning Nigeria as the best maritime nation in Africa by the year 2020, based on the four-point agenda of his administration. On piracy and illegal bunkering, the NIMASA DG explained that as part of the commitment of the Agency in reducing the trend to the barest minimum, the Agency was in collaboration with relevant security agencies and has also recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian Air Force to complement the efforts of the Nigerian Navy. The DG however insisted that it was “not all the cases of reported hijacks, piracy and robbery on our waters are genuine. Some of these cases are hyped to undermine us and shore up insurance premium to Nigeria. I am not saying that piracy does not occur in our domain, but it is exaggerated. We are working tirelessly to reduce piracy and illicit crimes on our waterways to the barest minimum through these collaborative efforts.” Identifying some of the achievement of the agency, the NIMASA Boss itemized enhanced safety and security of the maritime domain through regular patrols, building a corps of qualified maritime professionals under the NSDP scheme, establishment of Institutes of Maritime Studies in four universities, establishment of a Maritime University, establishment of a Science and Technical College and the construction of a ship yard and dock yard. Others, he said, included the regular funding of MAN Oron, recruitment of qualified professionals in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Audit requirements, an enhanced flag and port state administration, submission of the instruments of ratification of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 to the International Labour Organisation and the procurement of boats through a PPP arrangement to boost enforcement.
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