By Our Reporter
This is not the best of time for port thieves, popular, Wharf rats at the Lagos ports of Apapa, Tincan, Island, Tincan,Port Terminal Multi-services Limited, PTML, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, KLT, phases I and II, KLT, Lilipond Bonded Terminal and the south eastern ports of Onne, Rivers, Warri and Calabar as the Nigerian Ports Authority , NPA, under the close watch of Muhammed Bello-Koko and the Lagos state police Command, enters into a close working relationship to tackle insecurity and criminal activities.
As a prelude to ensuring that importers with their clearing agents and others port users including the shipping companies doing their business at the nation’s seaports are not discouraged by the port thieves, popular, Wharf rats , by pilfering their cargoes that may force them to relocate to the neighbouring Autonomous port of Benin in Cotonou, Capital of Benin Republic,Togo, Ghana or the Central African country of Cameroon, the Authority and the Idowu Owohunwa led, Lagos state Police Command, appears to have tightened up security at the ports, that it is no longer business as usual for the port thieves.
Only recently,Ohibunwa, the Lagos state Commissioner of Police, paid a working visit to the agency’s Head office at Marina, amidst tight security, to familarise himself and discuss areas of collaboration, particular, security at the ports with the Bello-Koko led Management.
The Lagos state Commissioner of Police, was said to have used opportunity of the visit to give kudos to the NPA, Managing Director and his Management team for the security reforms which he has carried out since his assumptions of office in 2021 to ease the movement of goods and cargoes in and out of the ports.
The CP, may have alluded to the computerized traffic management system, which was said to have been set up to ostensibly address the perennial gridlock along the Oshodi –Apapa express way and which industry stakeholders had confirmed had enhanced security at the Lagos ports. This is because cases of trucks laden Containers being attacked on the road due to the gridlock had gradually disappeared.
The LAGOS, CP, may have gladdened the heart of Bello-Koko, the NP, Chief Executive Officer, CEO and his management team, when he gave his word to support the NPA , to further strengthen the security at the country ‘s seaports and do away completely with the activities of the wharf rats for good.
The words of encouragement from the Lagos Police Command, CP, may have emboldened the NPA, helmsman, to open up that without the presence of his men at the seaports across the country, the Authority could not have achieved that much in containing the containing the activities of the port thieves over the last one year, promising to sustain the drive. There is no gain saying the fact that from the premier port of Apapa, Tincan Island to KLt, sanity has returned to the Lagos ports as agents exit their importer’ cargoes from the ports to their warehouses in different parts of Lagos without fear of being attacked on the road. Vintage Bello-Koko.
Nigeria , IMO, Synergise To Tackle Climate Change Challenges Associated With hipping
The Nigeria government and the International Maritime Organisation, IMO, under the Leadership of Kitract Lim, appear to have agreed at the just concluded 80th session of the Marine Environment Protection Committee , MEPC, held in London, United Kingdom, what was said to have focused on ”tackling the problems climate change by cutting Green House Gas, GHG, emissions from ocean going vessels. including the adoption of the revised IMO GHG strategy”.
Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the IMO and the High Commissioner to the UK, was said to have ledthe country’s delegation , comprising of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety, NIMASA, Nigerian Ports Authority and other relevant industry stakeholders officials to participate at the international forum, where energy efficiency of ships, Ballast Water Management among other topical issues were said to have been reviewed.
Notable among the NIMASA , officials at the the IMO, FOrum in Londond, wereHeaky Dimowo, Director , Marine Environment Management , Suleiman Abdulsalam, Special Adviser ,Policy, to Bashir Jamoh, OFR, Director Genearal of the agency while Omari Brown, Executive Director, Marine and Operations, had attended the IMO , MEPC, forum from NPA.
