NPA allays fears of conflict with NPERA, says no overlap in functions

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has allayed fears of conflict with the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency (NPERA), assuring stakeholders that there will be no overlap in the functions of the two agencies under the new ports economic regulatory framework.

The assurance followed concerns in the industry over the possible duplication of responsibilities between the NPA, which manages Nigeria’s port infrastructure and operations, and NPERA, which has assumed the role of economic regulator for the ports sector.

The General Manager of Corporate Communications and Strategy of the NPA, Ikechukwu Onyemeka, gave the assurance during an interaction with executives of the Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) in Lagos.

According to him, the NPA and other agencies had been involved in the review of the legislation establishing the new regulatory framework before it was transmitted for presidential assent, thereby providing an opportunity to examine its provisions and identify areas that could result in overlapping responsibilities.

Onyemeka said the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, had consistently encouraged agencies under the ministry to work together and ensure that their respective mandates complement one another in the interest of the maritime sector.

“The Honourable Minister, and by extension the NPA MD, has tried to make all the agencies under him to work in harmony,” he said.

“I’m aware that before that bill was sent, all the agencies came together by the directive of the Minister. We started looking at all the clauses, and we made sure that there are no overlaps,” he said.

The NPA spokesman stressed that the objective of the Federal Government was to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the nation’s ports rather than create confusion among government agencies.

“So there’s no cause for alarm. It’s a good thing. We don’t have any problem with it. Government can’t come and introduce something that will cause chaos in the system. But we just want to make the industry work better,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the NPA has disclosed that preparations have reached an advanced stage for the commencement of the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Lagos ports, with construction expected to begin at the Apapa Port.

Onyemeka said the authority is currently sensitising communities around the affected areas ahead of the commencement of construction.

He said: “We are currently doing some sensitisation for communities around that area. Because once the construction starts, we’re going to be getting a lot of noise. So it’s important that we get the community to be notified of what we are doing.”

He added that the rehabilitation work will be carried out in phases to prevent a complete shutdown of port operations.

He explained that the work would be carried out either berth-by-berth or terminal-by-terminal, allowing vessels to continue calling at the ports while construction is ongoing.

“The reconstruction work is going to be in phases because we don’t want to close the whole port. It’s going to be either by berth or by terminal, so that we will still be receiving vessels as the construction itself is going on,” he said.

On calls for youths living around the port communities to benefit from employment opportunities during the rehabilitation, the NPA spokesman said it was not out of place for residents of the affected communities to benefit from some of the jobs that would arise during the project, particularly menial and part-time jobs.

“There will not be opportunities to get some field workers and all that from that area. I’m sure it will be part of it because they will need people to do certain levels of whether menial jobs or part-time jobs in those places,” he said.

Addressing complaints that the ministry and NPA have continued to concentrate port development in Lagos, Onyemeka said rehabilitation plans also cover ports in the eastern part of the country.

He said the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy had recently announced that approvals had been secured for the rehabilitation of the eastern ports.

He explained that the intervention was part of the broader government plan to improve port infrastructure across the country rather than concentrate development in Lagos.

“Very recently the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy announced that the same rehabilitation and approvals have also been secured for Eastern ports. So, by and large, Eastern ports are also included in the rehabilitation work,” he said.

According to him, although the eastern ports may currently not enjoy the same level of patronage as the Lagos ports, they remain strategically important because they serve communities and industries in their respective regions.