Expert tasks National Assembly on maritime bills

Prioritise maritime bills, expert tells National Assembly
NAN-H-20
Bills
By Aisha Cole
Lagos, Dec. 27, 2017 (NAN) The Chairman, Port Consultative Council (PCC), Chief Kunle Folarin, has urged the National Assembly to prioritise maritime Bills to improve infrastructure in the port industry.
Folarin made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Lagos.
“These are bills that are strategic to Nigerian economy as well as development.
“The bills are strategic to Nigerian maritime security and I believe there is something wrong somewhere for the National Assembly not passing the bills.
“We need to persuade and beg them to pass the bills but the bills can only be passed if they are prioritised.
“More than 10 maritime bills are lying there for the past 12 years and if they decide to pass five bills in this 8th Republic, it would be good,’’ Folarin said.
He said that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) could not fully answer the questions of port concession, adding that the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) could not move on with maritime security and the coast guard due the non-passage of the bills.
Folarin explained further that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) was still waiting for full implementation of its Port Economic regulatory role.
He noted that presently Nigerians were suffering due to non-passage of the maritime bills.
Folarin said there was need to position an umpire to look into port charges as well as create equity in business to enable Nigerian ports to be the port of origin as well as port of destination. (NAN)
AIC/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola