Help Streamline Customs Port Efficiency-Rewane

Maritime lawyers have been charged to help the federal government effectively streamline the activities of the Nigerian Customs in the national ports for the benefit of all.

The managing director/CEO of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewene said this while speaking at the second Nigerian Maritime Law Association breakfast meeting with the theme The Interplay of the Maritime Industry and the Macroeconomy in Nigeria – The Way Forward for Growth,’ 

The renowned economics stated that for Nigerian ports to become efficient and enable importers to take delivery of their cargo with limited delays, there is a need for the Federal Government to streamline Customs processes and eliminate corruption at ports and called on lawyers particularly maritime lawyers to always insist on doing things the right way.

Rewane said, “It’s easier to put 50 flies in a matchbox than to take a container out of Apapa Port due to institutional bottlenecks at the port.”

According to him, Nigerian ports cannot compete favourably with their counterparts, adding that building the best ports in the continent was counter-productive and allowed institutional bottlenecks to mar their efficiency.

‘’There are about 38 different authorised desks that your documents must go through before your container can exit the port. Nigeria must adopt the policy of a single window for managing Customs processes. We have to streamline that whole process. There was a plan and funding made available to have a single window at our ports but it never worked,” he said.

Rewane also bemoaned the idea of creating checkpoints on roads with proximity to the port to detain, re-inspect, and delay already cleared goods at the port.

He said Nigeria must dismantle all bottlenecks that create barriers to international trade because the ports will be of no use with human bottlenecks, adding that ‘’ having human bottlenecks in trade creates avenues for non-state and state actors to play a part in corrupt activities such as stealing the nation’s crude oil and vandalizing pipelines.’’

‘’There is a need to address corruption and promote transparency to boost investor confidence. We need to improve port facilities, connectivity, and logistics infrastructure to have efficient port operations” Rewane further stated while calling for cooperation between the public and private sector players in the establishment of key infrastructure, Rewane said the government needs to harmonise maritime activities and monitor implementation efforts.

He further called for operational reforms to encourage technological developments and ethical business practices in the port sector.

He pointed out that congestion around the port has become a big challenge and required urgent action from the government. He said there was a need for infrastructure development in the maritime industry and harmonisation of government policies.

Rewane said there was also a need for exchange rate stability to promote foreign trade and moderate Customs duties to aid trade.

In her welcome address earlier, Funke Agbor, president of the Nigerian Maritime Law Association (NMLA), said the maritime industry was related to the Nigerian economy and if the economy grows, the maritime industry would grow.

She canvassed for the right leadership, the right policies, and strong institutions to drive growth.

According to her, strong institutions were vital because, in the absence of good leadership and good policies, strong institutions would give a chance for growth.

“We have no choice but to go forward; we can’t be going backward. We need to insist on good governance. If our taxes are deducted properly, then we should get the benefits of paying taxes because we should not be spending money on things that the government should take care of,” Agbor said.