All Eyes on Amaechi
As Chibuike Amaechi takes charge of Nigeria’s transportation sector, stakeholders have listed their expectations of him. John Iwori reports.
The new Minister of Transport, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has a huge task ahead considering that the transport industry is huge and complex. The industry has many challenges that only the wise can be able to navigate through it successfully.
Many believe that the transport industry is not for a neophyte. Besides, the merger of Aviation with the Transport Ministry has made it more difficult for anyone to make any meaningful impact without an in-depth knowledge of how the transport industry works.
The roles and responsibilities on the shoulders of the former governor whose nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari and subsequent screening and confirmation by the upper chamber of the National Assembly attracted fierce criticisms and commendations from far and near are enormous. This is not unconnected with the fact that unlike many other ministries, the Ministry of Transport is not only wide and complex but also technical.
Evidence of performance or nonperformance is discernable from the minister’s action or inaction. Analysts said though the task ahead of Amaechi is overwhelming, he will excel if he focuses on a few key areas that have the propensity to maximise the enormous potential in the maritime industry and make Buhari’s administration change mantra a reality. Below are the few key areas that Amaechi must focus and make quick and desirable impact thereby creating a legacy for himself and the Buhari’s government.
Port and Harbour Bill
Former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration was credited with the passage of the Freedom for Information Bill into law. This was after many years the bill suffered several setbacks in the National Assembly. Amaechi can make Buhari to create a legacy in the transport industry by ensuring the quick passage of the Port and Harbour Bill into law. This is achievable. Among other good things going for him, Amaechi’s party, the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has a clear majority in the legislative arm of government. Just as the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is meant to up the ante in the oil and gas industry, the Port and Harbour Bill is meant to change the present poor situation in the maritime industry, especially in the way and manner port operation is presently carried out in the nation’s seaports. Unfortunately, the Port and Harbour Bill has not been given the attention it deserves by the legislature. It has been in the National Assembly for years with each successive legislative assembly failing to pass it into law. The bill was at various stages of passage in the lower and upper chamber of the National Assembly in the fifth assembly. However, it was not passed into law until the lawmakers ended their session. It was the same fate that befell it in the sixth assembly. As if this was not bad enough, the bill, which has provisions for various aspects of port operations, especially the roles and responsibilities of key players in the nation’s seaports also suffered the same fate in the seventh assembly.
The Chairman of the Sea Terminals Operators of Nigeria (STOAN), Mrs. Victoria Haastrup in an exclusive interview with THISDAY in Lagos stressed the need for the quick passage of the Port and Habour Bill into law. Haastrup who is also the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ENL Consortium Limited, said it was imperative the minister pursue the passage of the bill with vigour.
Her words: “I want Mr. President and the Minister of Transport to work hard to ensure that the Port and Harbour Bill is promptly passed into law. In short, the Minister of Transport must work harmoniously with the National Assembly, especially the Senate Committee on Marine Transport as well the House Committees on Maritime Safety Administration and Education, and the Port Harbour and Waterways to ensure that the bill is pass into law.
“I strongly believe that if the Minister of Transport and the relevant committees in the legislative arm of government work closely, the passage of the bill into law would no longer suffer any delay in the hallow chambers of the National Assembly in the present eighth assembly”.
Port Access Roads
It is no longer news that the port access roads are deplorable. The roads are so bad that they have become eyesore and a disgrace to Nigeria. The poor access roads to the nation’s seaports have contributed in no small way to the gridlock in Apapa and its environs. According to those who spoke to THISDAY, the gridlock in Apapa and the poor state of the port access roads is a shame, saying it is only in Nigeria this could happen. The building of more access roads to the nation’s seaports and rehabilitation of existing ones should be top on the agenda of Amaechi as he settles down to the task ahead of him as the helmsman of the Ministry of Transport. Contracts worth millions of naira were awarded by his predecessors. The minister should find out why the contracts were not executed as scheduled. He should go beyond what is written in the handover notes to know why the execution of these contracts is so slow to the extent that it is like Nigeria are not in urgent need of the total rehabilitation of these raods. He should not hesitate to cancel these contracts and re-award them to more serious contractors with specific deadlines. This is vital because the poor state of the port access roads will rubbish every other laudable step taken by the minister as long as port users continue to flay the inefficiency in port operations and cargo clearance in the nation’s seaports.
Building Loading Bay
To discerning players in the maritime industry and beyond, the building of holding bays or parking lots will help to decongest the port access roads. It will also ease the traffic snarl in Apapa and its environs. Stakeholders in the maritime industry have identified this ill for long. What is lacking, however, is the absence of political do the right thing consistently no matter whose ox is gored. Amaechi must therefore lead the way in ensuring that loading bays are built in Apapa. He should encourage the truck owners to provide loading bays for the trucks coming inside the port to do business. All the truck owners should come together and provide a loading bay for their trucks. The provision of these loading bays is crucial in resolving the gridlock that has cripple businesses in Apapa over the years. The truck owners should provide the loading bay for their trucks because it is not proper for them to use their business to hamper other business operators in the Apapa and its environs. Amaechi must also ensure that the loading bay that is about 95 per cent completed opposite Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIP), Apapa, Lagos is fully completed and put into use. Already there have been various insinuations on why the federal government is not putting it into immediate use to solve the gridlock in Apapa. The former governor must note that though the idea of asking the trucks and other articulated vehicles to maintain one lane on one side of the road while other motorists move on the other lane has provided temporary relief but it should not be allowed to remain the permanent solution. This is because the restriction of tankers and container laden trailers to one lane did not take cognizance of the impact of the weight of these articulated vehicles on the bridges as they stay for days and weeks on the road leading to Apapa. This is why the Minister of Transport must explore other viable options. These other viable options must be categorised into short, medium and long terms solutions.
Sanity among Government Agencies
The minister must ensure sanity in the various government agencies under his purview. Some of these government agencies have deviated from the primary purpose for which they were established. Some of them are not delivering on their mandate. A peep into their statutory books showed that some of them are now mere shadows of what they ought to be. Sentiments and mundane issues have taken the centre stage. The lot falls on Amaechi to re-jig these government agencies for better performance. He should saddle them with specific tasks and demand dates for delivery. He should ask specific questions and demand specific answers. For instance, why is Nigeria not in Category C in the global maritime watchdog, International Maritime Organisation (IMO)? Why has Nigeria not contested for a seat in the prestigious Governing Council of IMO in the last three elections in the United Nations (UN) specialised agency? Why has Nigeria not celebrated the 2015 World Maritime Day till date, long after other maritime nations have done so? What is responsible for the intermittent strikes of dockworkers? Why is the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) always reneging on its agreements with the terminal operators and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN)? Why will NPA disengage its staff in the name of downsizing without putting concrete modalities to pay them their terminal and severance benefits? What is responsible for the neglect of the common user services as enshrined in the agreement the concessionaires signed with the Federal Government through the management of NPA. Why are files and other sensitive documents missing in the government agencies in the transport industry? Why will the staff in these government agencies report late for work and leave before the closing time? Why have they become partisan rather neutral in support for politicians and political parties? Why are they using their various offices to play politics rather than face their primary assignments? Why is the multi-billion Onitsha River Port inaugurated with fanfare over five years ago is not functioning till date? What value has the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (NITT), Zaria, Kaduna State added to the transport industry in the last four years? Can it justify the allocation it has been drawing from the federation account over the years? Why is the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, Akwa Ibom State not having a training ship for the sea time experience of its cadets? Since the completion of the multi-billion naira dredging of the River Niger, what is the management of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Lokoja, Kogi State doing about bringing private investors to take advantage of the numerous business opportunities along the coast of the river?
Why are the government agencies in the Federal Ministry of Transport always at loggerheads fighting for the control of the multimillion naira contracts for the removal of wrecks and derelicts in Nigerian waters? Why are they not on the same page on the key issues that will maximise the huge potential in the maritime industry? The minister should find out why all his predecessors repeatedly promised to disburse the Cabotage Vessel Finance Fund (CVFF) and failed to do so. He should also ask why all successive ministers of transport always give waivers to foreign ship owners in spite of the provisions of the Cabotage Act 2003. He should find out why the registration of ship is not yet synchronised by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), making ship owners to spend weeks if not months to accomplish what ordinarily should take beyond 24 hours as it is obtainable in the developed maritime domains. Why did it take NIMASA days to respond to the recent ship collision in Nigeria waters? He should find out how Nigerian youths are faring in the various maritime training institutions across the globe under the auspices of the National Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP)? Are the issues affecting the students in these foreign institutions getting the right and proper attention? Is Nigeria getting value for money in the training of these cadets overseas? There are many more questions begging for answers but as the euphoria of his new appointment as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria begin to ebb, he should ponder on these questions and find tangible solutions as the countdown to his 100 days in office has started in earnest.