Arrest, Prosecute Sacked Agencies, Presidency Orders Ports Police Commissioner

The Presidency has ordered the Commissioner of Police, Port Police Command, Charles Abutu to arrest and prosecute any staff of Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) who come to the ports without any formal invitation from the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

The Presidency said that the action became necessary because of rumours going round that the two agencies have been reconsidered to commence activities at the nation’s gateways.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Maritime Services, Olugbenga Leke Oyewole dropped this hint when he met groups of freight forwardering associations in Lagos recently.

According to him, the Presidency has approved the quit notice on SON, NAFDAC at seaports, insisting that the two agencies remained banned at the ports environment as previously announced by the Presidential Committee on Ports Decongestion.

The President’s aide said their presence at the ports would amount to flouting the law, and he ordered that security operatives be on the alert to carry out the government’s order.

Oyewole explained that the Customs Enforcement Unit and Customs Evaluation still operating at the ports should desist from doing so, adding that the ports reforms was not a child’s play that any agency could toy with.

He said that President Goodluck Jonathan was satisfied with the present achievements at the ports, adding that sanitising the nation’s gateways remains a priority to the present administration.

According to him, any agency that has anything to do at the ports should follow due process by approaching the NPA, which he said was appointed as the industry regulator to monitor things and make sure that the presidential committee’s pronouncement was implemented to the letter.

He said that sacking of the multiple agencies at the ports has improved trade facilitation and ports operations, since the pronouncement came last year October.

Responding to the government’s order, President, Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Chief Chukwu Osita, said the directive was a relief to importers and freight forwarders operating at the ports.

According to him, the ports reform was the best thing to have happened to Nigeria in recent years, adding that President Goodluck Jonathan has demonstrated to Nigerians that his word is his bond.

He flayed the sacked agencies which were alleged to have approached the legislative arm of the government to reconsider the Presidential Taskforce Committee’s pronouncement, adding that the act could cause instability at the gateways if not checked.

Osita pointed out that he submitted a 20-page write up to the lawmakers on why the sacked agencies should not return to the ports, adding that their activities was an impediment to the growth of the nation’s ports.

“The Presidency’s move to sanitise our ports is the best thing to happen to this country. President Goodluck Jonathan has shown to Nigerians that he means well for our ports.

“If NAFDAC wants to stop fake drugs from entering into Nigeria, they should create liason offices everywhere outside the ports, even outside the country.

“SON too do not have anything to do at our ports, because goods ought to have been inspected offshore. So, it is the duty of a clearing agent to go to the ports to collect his goods without any hinderance, since the examination has been conducted from the goods’ state of origin and is already carrying a signal. The re-inspection is a waste of time and set back to port development,” Osita said.

On the sacked Customs units at the ports, he said: “Customs Enforcement Unit has refused to get out of the ports; they are still operating fully there. The Customs units are like Mobile Police and regular Police. It is like Customs to Police. They are among the sacked agencies. But they are still visible at Apapa port and fully operating at Tin Can Island port, PTML and others.