•Asked APC government to give account of their regime
By Innocent Orok
The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP),Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has said that Nigeria loses over
$20billion annually due to Ports inefficiency and decayed
infrastructure.
Atiku who promises to reverse the trend if voted into power in 2019 made
the pledge during a town hall meeting with
maritime stakeholders in Lagos yesterday.
Atiku who was represented by his running mate and
former governor of Anambra State Mr Peter Obi said that the
Nigerian ports system is not working, even as he alleged that importers making
use of Nigerian ports to ship their cargoes are made to pay extra $1,000
Dollars abroad on every container shipped into Country.
According to him, in order to make the eastern ports busy and viable, there is
need to make it cheaper to clear cargoes there than in Lagos. This he said his
government will grant incentives to those using the eastern ports to
attract patronage.
He blasted the APC government saying “How can you say Nigeria is
working and you have an ease of doing business if the roads leading to your
ports are in bad shape? It simply shows a government that is not
working”
“For every goods you ship from anywhere in the world into Nigeria you pay
additional $1,000, the reason why you are paying that is because of the
inefficiency of Nigerian Ports.
“The ports today have not been expanded from what it was from when they
were built, nobody has given them any attention and we are not even building
new ones. Singapore was the busiest port in the world, and as it is, they are
building the busiest and biggest port under the sea, this would start in 2050,
but here we are not doing anything, we are busy making sure that the ones built
is not working”
Atiku said.
On the traffic gridlock in Apapa due to bad roads, Atiku assured the
stakeholders that fixing the Apapa Oshodi expressway could be completed in less
than one year.
“The Apapa -Oshodi expressway is not more than 10km and its won’t
take any serious government more than a year to fixed it,
it’s not rocket science, but matter of incompetence and
ineffective leadership ‘
According to him, running a business and running the country is the same thing.
He vowed to deploy his business acumen in development of the ports.
He challenged the Buhari administration to show Nigerians
their achievements before asking them for another term.
“Give us the account of your first tenure before telling us to give
you another term. If I give you money to trade you will have to
give me the account of the first money before you asked for
another one, that is what we are asking the APC
government ” Atiku said.
He promised that is voted to power the “Atiku/Obi presidency
would make Nigeria work. Atiku has experience in governance and in business he
has built schools so he knows what education is, people cannot
offer what they don’t have, imagine Atiku as an ex Custom Officer and myself
being a trader, the port will turn around” he assured.
Meanwhile, the gathered stakeholders presented various position papers on the
various challenges confronting the sector.
The Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) in a document
presented by its Vice President, Mr. Farinto Collins said even though the port
as a critical sector generates N5billion daily into Federal Government’s purse,
the government has abandoned it.
He said that maritime operators regretted galvanising over 30,000 votes for
President Muhammadu Buhari in year 2015, saying that most of the promises made
were never fulfilled.
One of the promises according to him was made by the current Vice President,
Prof Yemi Osinbajo on revision of the Auto Policy, he said the policy has
succeeded in sending many clearing agents out of jobs which they never
fulfilled.
Other challenges itemised by Farinto includes bad access roads leading to the
nation’s port, foreigners practicing custom brokerage in Nigeria. He called for
indigenization of the profession.
The ANLCA vice President also stressed the need to review the Customs and
Excise Management Act and a creation of a Ministry of Maritime.
He called for the development of a port development plan, saying that all the
ports in Nigeria currently have been overstretched.
The Initiative for Rapid Development of Nigeria one of the strong
support group for the Atiku/Obi presidency also submitted a
highlights of mydrids of Problems facing stakeholders and the
Nigerian ports which need urgent attention.
Some of the issues the IRDNIGERIA enumerated in their paper
includes government policies, Legislations, high cost of doing
business in Nigerian ports, Corruption, infrastructural decay
among others. The group said they believe that Atiku Abubakar will
address the issues when he comes to power in February this
year.
The Lagos State Governorship flag bearer of the PDP, Mr. Jimi Agbaje was also
at the forum accompanied by his running mate. He assured that if voted into
power as the next governor of Lagos State, the traffic
gridlock in Apapa would be addressed.
The event was put together by Chief Peter Okocha, Chairman
Chrismatel Group , Dr Basil Nwolisa, Chairman IRDNIGERIA Ifeanyi
Okunbor , Innocent Orok and Dr Eugene Nweke . Others
are Sir Aloy Okwu, Chief Festus Ukwu, Chief Ik Mbulu and Chief Basil Onyeanusi
among others to draw the attention of the Atiku/Obi presidency to
the plight of the Maritime sector and how to address them when the
got into power.
