Presidency Says Sacked Agencies Still Lobbying To Return To Port

• Sacked Agencies Accuse Customs, Terminal Operators

Following the reduction in the number of government agencies operating at the seaport from 14 to seven by the Federal Government, the Presidency has said that many of the sacked agencies are still trying to find their ways back into the port.
Some of the sacked agencies have however lampooned officers of the Nigeria Custom Service as well as port terminal operators for marginalizing other agencies and shielding them from carrying out their duties, even when they are invited into the port.
Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Monitoring and Evaluation, as well as the Chairman, Implementation Committee on Port Reforms, Prof Sylvester Monye gave the revelation last week at a Custom retreat in Asaba, Delta State.
Professor Monye stated that, since the approval to reduce the agencies was granted by the President, the sacked agencies had resulted into writing petitions to the National Assembly stressing the need to return back to the port.
"As soon as it was approved, all hell broke loose, every agency are insisting on being at the port"
"As at last month, Minister of Agriculture came charging on why Quarantine must be back there, the National Assembly set up a committee asking us why NAFDAC is no longer there, it has been a thug of war" he confessed
Monye however hinged the plea to return to the seaports on selfish economic interests and lack of trust among all the agencies due to inter-agency rivalry.
He pointed out that each of the agencies feel it is safer to be at the port, not just because of economic consideration, but to protect their personal interests.
He added that: "When we asked other agencies to leave the port and allow Customs to be the lead agency, we got petitions upon petitions saying that customs does not call anybody, but when I called CG of Customs, they (Customs) showed us the text message communications which the other agencies claim they did not receive", he disclosed.
Monye lamented that it is obscene and completely unacceptable that the World Bank Report had rated Nigerian port as most complicated to do business.
"The port decongestion initiative, when completed, if we are successful, will reduce the amount of time that we spend in clearing goods from nine days to two days and the man on the street will be better for it", he assured.
"If we can achieve the Single Window custom clearance, then we are on our way to reducing the number of clearing days to two days" he assured
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily, head of Public Relations department of the Plant Quarantine Services; Mr. Nnamdi Onukuba who was also at the retreat, on the allegations, he lamented that despite the fact that his agency had received an authorization from the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Finance on the need to return to the port, the customs has continued to flay the directive.
"When we send officers to the port, maritime authorities will say they have not been informed by Ministry of Transport or Finance, they are still living in the old expulsion order", he pointed out.
"Even the Custom officers themselves at some of the beats will say they are waiting for authorization from their CG, it becomes a personal issue, custom should address their officers at the beat" he said
Onukuba alleged that terminal operators also play a part in the drama, because they own the gates, and they do not allow other agencies inside their premises.
"What we have done is to go back to the ministry of transport and Finance to get a letter which says that the existing collaboration with custom should be sustained, but they are still playing difficult" he lamented.
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