Group Accuses NPA Over Premature Revocation Of Members’ Barging Operation Licenses

A maritime group under the auspices of Concerned Maritime Operators (CMO) has condemned the revocation by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) of  leases granted to members’ companies to carry out jetty and barging operations in Lagos.

 

The group frowned at NPA actions by revoking valid operational licences of six affected indigenous companies that commenced operations between January and March 2021 respectively.

 

According to a statement made available to DAILYFOCUS NIGERIA weekend, by the CMO Coordinator, Mr. Oladapo Oduneye, noted that the action of the NPA was high-handed and at best a travesty against justice, saying the various leases, which are all fully paid upfront, had only gone a negligible fraction of their respective tenures before revocation hammer hit them.

 

While describing the moves as illegal, the Coordinator,  posited that the action of the NPA in effecting the premature revocation of  members’ leases on the said space was without due processes and  unconstitutional.

 

Oduneye pointed out that the revocation has cost the affected operators huge losses in terms of revoked contracts with foreign investors, painting Nigeria before the international community as an unstable investment destination.

 

The Coordinator noted that the alleged arbitrary action of the NPA saw the wanton destruction of  structures, equipment  and other investments belonging to the licencees at the lease sites located between Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC) first and second gates by Port Novo Creek in a ruthless illegal mission enforced by a joint task force of heavily-armed  military and paramilitary personnel mustered and deployed by the Authority.

 

He  maintained that  not less than six thousand persons employed directly and indirectly by the affected operators have been rendered redundant under the prevailing galloping inflation and insecurity sweeping across Nigeria.

 

On the matter of the third clause, he reiterated that the group vehemently protest that the NPA cannot justifiably claim that it “requires the space for use.”

 

The statement said” We as Concerned Maritime Operators roundly condemn the illegal revocation by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) of the leases granted a number of our members’ companies to conduct jetty and barging operations along the stretch of waterways across the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway from the main facilities of the Tin-Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC), Apapa, Lagos State.

 

” Each of the operational licences of the six affected indigenous companies granting each of them their respective one-year leseases are all still valid, having commenced  between January and March 2021.

 

“The efforts of the affected companies, individually and collectively, alongside those of our other members, have contributed immeasurably in finally ameliorating the hitherto intractable gridlock that haunted the Lagos ports access roads by moving huge volumes of cargoes safer, cheaper and more conveniently via the waterways, contributing immensely to facilitating  the Buhari administration’s ease-of-doing-business policy.

 

” It is baffling that under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, which has done, and continues to do, so much in deploying stimulus packages to alleviate poverty through supportive policies, including boosting local content and financial incentives to entrepreneurs, an institution of the Federal Government, such as the NPA, is engaging in antics that are antithetical  to gainful legitimate businesses and will throw several persons into the already congested unemployment market.

 

“We unequivocally state that, in rendering those ill-conceived revocations, the NPA had taken a dim, callous and selfish stand on the issue.

 

“Clearly, in giving effect to the conditions in the Licence Agreements signed between the respective licencees and the NPA, the Authority’s revocation orders on  our affected members’ leases or Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) were not informed by strict adherence to the principles of the public interest, but skewed to favour some land grabbing vested interests set on a course of hostile takeover of a hitherto dormant location that the smart and hard work of our members breathed a new lease of life.

 

” The sections of Licence Agreement the NPA has taken undue advantage of state in part: “(a) Determination of TOL:- Licence is determinable by either party by the issuance of seven-day notice to the party of his intention to terminate the licence.

 

“(b)The Licence shall be revoked without giving the required seven-day notice if the Federal Government directs the immediate removal of the occupant.

 

“(c)The Licence shall also be revoked without issuing the seven-day notice where the Authority requires the space for use.”

 

“Of course, none of our members ever invoked that first clause, and, on the second clause, we firmly believe that a Buhari administration that has consistently supported indigenous entrepreneurs in words and actions will suddenly do a volte-face in this instance.

 

“Chapter Four, Section 44 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended, on the matter of “Compulsory Acquisition of Property”, states in parts: “(1) No moveable property or any interest in an immovable property shall be taken possession of compulsorily and no right over or interest in any such property shall be acquired compulsorily in any part of Nigeria except in the manner and for the purposes prescribed by a law that, among other things –

“(a) requires the prompt payment of compensation therefore and

“(b) gives to any person claiming such compensation a right of access for the determination of his interest in the property and the amount of compensation to a court of law or tribunal or body having jurisdiction I’m that part of Nigeria,”the document explained.

By Roland Ekama