The National Coordinator of the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT), Mr. Moses Fadipe and the Managing Director of Tincan Island Container Terminal (TICT), Mr. Rochers Ettiene have agreed to explore areas of collaboration to sustain the implementation of the Nigeria Port Process Manual (NPPM) for the overall benefit of the Nigerian Port industry.
Speaking during a courtesy call to his office by the PSTT Coordinator, the TICT MD expressed delight for the PSTT visit to his office, saying it is my first time meeting the PSTT boss flesh and blood, “after all the transformational work you have done in our terminal. We thank you and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council which we understand is now doing the work of the Port Economic Regulator. We have seen a lot of changes so far under the Shippers’ Council and we wish very much to express our thanks to PSTT.”
He also promised to support the efforts of the Nigeria Customs Services and PSTT to ensure seamless release of imports and shipment of export cargoes in line with Ease of Doing Business policy of the Federal Government, saying TICT is the biggest investor of all the terminals in Lagos in terms of equipment including number RPGs and technical support manpower. “We have a high density of people and equipment over a small area,” he said.
Mr. Ettiene further called on port operators and users to comply with the cargo scanning/examination site rules as being implemented by the Task Team, particularly as it relates to timelines for positioning of cargo for examination, commencement of examination by 9:00am and closure of activities at the scanning/examination site by 4:00pm.
He called on industry operators to rally round the PSTT to encourage it on the good work it has done in the Nigerian port industry in the less than two years of its existence, saying the country needs to leverage the achievement of the PSTT to position the Nigerian port industry.
In his remarks, the National Coordinator of PSTT, Comrade Moses Fadipe said that PSTT which is domiciled at the Shippers’ Council, as the Lead Agency for the implementation of the NPPM, was set up by the Federal Government under the Office of the Vice President with the Chairman of the ICPC as its CEO to monitor and ensure compliance to the NPPM.
Fadipe who is also a Director in the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, disclosed that the government found the establishment of the PSTT necessary because of the government’s desire to have a regime of Ease of Doing Business in the ports, to create an enabling environment for the investors who have brought their money and the technical knowhow to develop Nigeria’s maritime industry and have returns on their investments.
He thanked the TICT MD for the meeting, and further called on port operators and users to avail themselves of the PSTT Help Desk or bring directly to the notice of the Task Team any infraction to the NPPM, assuring that while every information given to the Task Team will be kept strictly confidential, if after investigation the information is found to be correct, the Task Team will take immediate action to correct the situation.
