Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, has pledged a good working relationship with the Nigerian Customs Service, NCS, to ensure adequate and efficient overtime cargo that has been congesting the port since 2011.
Oyetola disclosed this during his courtesy visit to the headquarters of the Nigerian Shipper's Council, NSC, in Lagos as part of his tour to agencies under his watch.
In his words, “On the port community transport, it is something that needs to be pursued. I have gone around to look at the state of the ports, it is discouraging. I am not blaming anybody. My concept of port development is more of Public Private Partnership, PPP. The government should not own a port 100 percent.
“Another thing I noticed is the extent to which cargoes are being abandoned. You need to engage with Customs to see how we can decongest our ports. Tin-can and Apapa have about 6,000 cargo that have been abandoned. You can imagine how much space they are occupying. I am going to engage the Customs management to see what can be done. There must be a time frame for clearing of cargo. To have kept cargo in one place since 2011 is unfortunate. I believe a solution can be created.
“I am charging all of us to be more creative. You have to see yourselves as civil servants in business because the blue economy is purely business. The issue of port rehabilitation is critical, I went there and I saw a lot of cracks.”
Executive Secretary, NSC, Emmanuel Jime, in his opening remarks, urged the Minister to ensure that Nigeria becomes a maritime hub in the West Africa sub-region.
