Headlines
NPA has no plan to terminate contracts of port concessionaires— Bello- Koko

Contrary to the widespread claim that the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) may sack five of the port terminal operators whose concession agreements have elapsed and operations are under the scrutiny of the agency, the Managing Director of the government parastatal, Mohammed Bello-Koko, has said the authority has no intention of disengaging the services of any of the operators.
“The planned renegotiation will avoid the mistakes of 2006 and aim at national interest and seek more influence for the NPA in the agreements” he stated.
According to him, of the amount sent to the CRF, a sum of N26.83billion represented the NPA‘s 2022 operational remittance.
“Because of measures we have put in place that have made us be more efficient and generate more revenue, we have been able to transfer over N45 billion to the consolidated revenue fund (CRF) , while N26.8billion of the amount was for the Authority’s operational remittance for 2022.
“We are also paying more attention to staff welfare and training. This is why we have just commissioned a training school at the Dockyard in Apapa, Lagos.
“The school has the capacity to train 380 people at a time and it is equipped with modern teaching facilities while it has accommodation for 30 people at a time. It has a canteen kitchen among other facilities.
“NPA is going into partnership with international bodies for the training of its personnel in such a way that they would have the capacity to cope with the mandate of the NPA.”
According to him, N25b of the amount was collected this year through more deliberate efforts at debt recovery and getting port managers more accountable through weekly revenue meetings.
He said the NPA under his watch has reduced administrative costs and improved Port stakeholders’ engagement to achieve efficiency and improve standards.
He described the recently commissioned Dockyard Training Institute as a way of building capacity and reducing the cost of training NPA staff abroad or in hotels because the facility is fitted with modern gadgets, including a bridge simulator.
While the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has given a 2025 deadline for port automation, he said Nigeria targets achieving it by 2023 and the country is engaging IMO consultants.
He described the port community system (PCS) as a game-changer that will bring efficiency in monitoring the arrival of vessels from fairway buoys to berths and help to evolve into a national single window system integrating all port stakeholders
He disclosed that the NPA under him had approved licenses for ten export processing terminals in Lagos, Ondo and Ogun States in line with the Federal Government’s drive to promote exports.
Headlines
Aftermath of Adeyanju’s exit, crisis resurfaces in MWUN

Headlines
NIMASA embarks on digital revolution to plug revenue leakages, enhance optimum operations

— spurns smear campaign against the process
“To set the records straight, following a comprehensive internal review of operational systems, the current leadership of NIMASA resolved to embrace technology as a means of enhancing the Agency’s capacity to deliver on its regulatory mandate more effectively and to bring into the coffers of government additional revenue ensure funds due government does not end up in private hands.
“A pivotal innovation in this regard is the Maritime Enhanced Monitoring System (MEMS).
“The additional recipients targeted are, waste reception services, a routine operation for both domestic and international vessels have traditionally lacked proper tracking, resulting in unmonitored activities and significant revenue losses.
“Marine pollution control, another critical area of NIMASA’s mandate, has similarly been constrained by limited digital tools. In the absence of satellite tracking and automated reporting, pollution events often go unnoticed or are reported too late to mitigate their impact.
“It is important to emphasize that past revenue shortfalls experienced by the Agency mainly stemmed from outdated manual processes, fragmented data systems, and insufficient digital enforcement mechanisms which allowed some external elements to capitalize on the loopholes for personal gains .
“The current reforms being implemented by NIMASA are focused squarely on overcoming these limitations.
“The public is therefore advised to disregard the misleading reports and instead support NIMASA’s transformation journey as it aligns with the broader national objectives of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
“The Agency remains committed to strengthening Nigeria’s maritime governance, ensuring environmental safety, and optimizing revenue for the nation.
“It is worthy of note that the Deep Blue Project of the Agency which now enjoys global recognition also witnessed such resistance at the initial stage” the agency noted.
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