…Says NPA Is Replete With Trained And Exceptional Personnel
… Advocates Increase Automation To Ease Clearance At Nigerian Ports
… Applauds Creation Of Marine and Blue Economy Ministry
In this exclusive interview heralding Nigeria’s 2024 Democracy Day, Chief Akin Ricketts, a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and one of the leading aspirants of the party in the 2023 Cross River Central Senatorial District primary election as well as a two term former chairman of the board, Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), shared his experiences while in charge of the boardroom as well as x-rayed President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s achievements, especially in the maritime sector in the last one year among other germane issues of public interest as it regards the economy with our Special Correspondent, Lanre Aro. Excerpts:
The President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s led administration in few days time will mark her first year anniversary in office, generally speaking, does this call for any celebration in view of the current economic reality in Nigeria?.
Well, the economic reality is such that a lot of adjustments needed to be done and no one promised they were going to be easy. One only hopes that the policies would be calibrated in such a manner that those aspects that make life unbearable for our people needs to be reviewed, attuned and re-jigged. Government should emplace social safety nets that would soften the ground for Nigerians. However, you will agree with me that most economic policies all over the globe are presaged by certain types of discomforts.
During the 2023 presidential campaign, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, then the presidential hopeful of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), made quite a number of promises to revamp the economy including the modernization of other ports in Nigeria in order to decongest the Apapa port, one year down the line, do you think his administration has been able to walk the talk?
The most important positive decision made by Asiwaju’s government was in my view the creation of a dedicated ministry for Marine and Blue Economy. The aim apparently is to dedicate a whole policy making body specifically to this important aspect of our national life. However, I would urge Mr. President to take a step further to as much as is practically possible, insulate the Ministry from politics and corrupting influence of the civil service. It should be professionalized so that it has a solid foundation in order to achieve the desired objectives. On walking the talk, I am aware through several sources that NPA is negotiating a deal worth $1b through a contractor to finance and rehabilitate the ports all over the country and not only Apapa and Tin Can ports. For the first time in over a decade, the Oshodi-Apapa expressway has been decongested, and it is now free from unnecessary hold ups, safety and environmental hazards. This is commendable. This, among other initiatives suggest to me that the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led Administration literally is not only committed to her promises, but indeed had been able to deliver within a very short space of time.
As a former Chairman of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and a key player in the maritime industry, are you convinced that the reforms introduced by this government are yielding the expected result such as increase traffic in other dormant ports in Nigeria including the Calabar port?
The viability and efficiency of the ports are predicated on the national economy and the purchasing power of the end users of goods and services. My experience in the port has been that our fiscal policies in Nigeria are geared more towards revenue generation than trade facilitation. Therefore, whatever policies that are conceived and implemented affects the bottom line. And, in this case, the consumer. So, I wouldn’t say any port is dormant because there are visible and invincible activities in ports that generate revenue; you can take my word for it. Particularly, on Calabar port that you mentioned, it would interest you to note that though ship traffic is not optimal, there are invincible activities in the crude oil loading terminals in Akwa Ibom State and service boats servicing the rigs offshore that are under Calabar port, generating some revenue to the port. There are also significant passenger operations and transportation of goods to Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and other neighboring coastal countries from Calabar or within the Calabar Pilotage District which invariably generate significant economic activity. Be that as it may, I agree that there ought to be more visibility of port activities in the Calabar Port. But, kindly oblige me when I say that; that is a story for another day.
In the interim, what deliberate measures should be put in place to ease or improve clearance processes in Nigerian ports?
I have been saying this over and over again. Automation is the only solution as exemplified in the case of DP world (Dubai); creating a system where all agencies involved in the clearance processes come on line in real time, including the financial processes. That, in my view is a sure solution to this avoidable challenge. It is also worthy and gratifying to note that Mr. President recently inaugurated a national single window committee comprising of major stakeholders and regulatory agencies to explore this possibility.
Despite the prevailing hardship experienced by some Nigerians, where do you foresee Nigeria’s economy under this administration within the next two years from now, any light at the end of the tunnel?
This is a two way traffic. While the Government is doing its part, you expect the citizenry to also play its role. There is need for us to patronize our local products, cultivate a disciplined attitude, do away with our greed, gluttony and be pragmatic in view of the realities on ground. The Government needs to intensify its efforts at the macroeconomic level to ensure stability and substantial predictability that would enable planning. The Central Bank, you would agree with me, is trying on this score. I’m sure this would be sustained to enable us have some comfort. So, I believe that the horizon is bright and our tomorrow would be much better than the temporary inconveniences of the moment. Having said this, I am not unaware of the plight of the citizenry.
So far, has this administration made any positive impact towards improving security in the maritime domain?
As you are aware, the Deep Blue Initiative has ensured that the occasional sundry crimes associated with the maritime domain were reduced to the barest minimum. Nigerian waters were replete with stories of armed attacks on merchant vessels, robberies and so on. Remember that the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) once reported that Nigerian waters were only safer than Somali’s, but that was all in the past as we have now thankfully turned the curve. The Federal Government is consistently improving on this and with the creation of a dedicated federal ministry, I am sure we would have more improvements, initiatives and progress recorded. But, you should note that there is no waterway in the world that is 100% crime or incident free; each has its unique and peculiar challenge.
What is your take on the current leadership structure in NPA as constituted by the current administration, do you think it is formidable enough to drive the government’s policies in the maritime domain?
If you consider the annals, I mean the history of NPA, in my view, four Managing Directors were outstanding and they were products of NPA and throughout their careers at the top job they made significant strides. In no particular order, they were: (1) Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, he was Managing Director from 1975 to 1982. He was a thoroughbred, who built all the new ports in Warri, Calabar, Onne and Tin Can. (2) Chief Adebayo Sarumi (2003-2007), who over saw and midwifed the transition of NPA from the model of a fully serviced port to a landlord model. He undertook the comprehensive port reforms that led to professionalism and concessioning of port terminals to the private sector. (3) Mr. Felix Ovbude, who though didn’t become the Managing Director for the whole of NPA as established, but managed the Eastern ports from scratch when NPA was bifurcated in 2006 up to the time it was unified in 2007. It is only one who knows all about the inner workings of an organization that can do this successfully without disruption in service excellence or breakdown in service delivery. And, four (4), on a final note, Engineer Omar Suleiman (2010-2012), who was the last thoroughbred that was the Managing Director. Ask any stakeholder about his tenure, the quality of his appointments, the tenacity of his policies, his passion for the assignment and responsibilities entrusted unto him as well as knack for professionalism.
In summary, let me add that as a two term Chairman of the Board of Nigerian Ports Authority, I found that NPA is replete with well trained, highly experienced, exceptionally brilliant and superbly dedicated personnel, who had been consistently and recently being denied the opportunity to rise beyond the General Manager cadre to lead the organization. All one needs to do is to engage the staff and officers of the Authority and you would be amazed at the quality they are made of, their level of patriotism and their dedication to duties. Of course, there are bad eggs as it is the case everywhere else, but it is high time that Mr. President considers appointing members of the Executive Management of NPA, maybe excluding only if he desires the Managing Director from within. Due to its peculiar operations and the unique nature of its management, anybody appointed from outside would take a long time to understand the Authority and may spend his/her whole tenure learning the rudiments of managing it. Therefore, this is a clarion call to Mr. President to consider giving the exceptional public servants in NPA the opportunity to break the glass ceiling so that they can grow as high as their ability can take them. They should be given the assurance that they matter, that Government appreciates their efforts in sustaining a public corporation since 1955. If you take a critical look at other public corporations in Nigeria, NPA is the only one that has existed, thrived, economically viable and she is still strong since 1955. This speaks to the quality, patriotism, dedication and professional disposition of its workforce. They should be given the opportunity also to manage this critical national asset in the same manner in which they have sustained it over the years. Significantly too, we must not forget Ms. Hadiza Bala Mohammed as well as the current MD, Mr. Mohammed Kolo, who have left their foot prints in the sands of time, especially as it concerns the fortunes of the Nigerian Ports Authority.
Do you have some parting words?
Finally, I commend Mr. President for his untiring efforts, dedication and steadfastness in ensuring that the nation, its economy and people are in a sound footing. It is very rare to find a leader who would not mince words in his determination to right every perceived wrong doings in the system as well as one who is blunt enough to say that the journey and the route would be full of spikes, hurdles and valleys, having in mind that at the end of the day the masses would laugh last. I salute Mr. President for his leadership, for his vision and strategic thinking. I urge him to continuously evaluate and recalibrate his policies with a view to make changes as and when necessary. Also, he should not hesitate replacing any appointee who he considers a clog in the wheel of progress; believing that no one is indispensable.
