NPPM Implementation Team Issues March 1st Deadline For Terminal Operators To Adopt SOP

The Implementation Committee of Nigeria Port Process Manual (NPPM) has issued March 1st 2021, as  timeline notice to all terminal operators to embrace Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) introduced by the Federal Government.

 

The  Committee also tasked the concessionaires to increase the 3 free storage days to 10 free storage days ,even as it threatened that failure on the part of the concessionaires to comply with the directive risk severe sanctions from the government.

 

The NPPM Implementation Committee was launched on the 10th of December 2020 by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo with the mandate to ensure port efficiency and effectiveness.

 

The Implementation Committee  is spearheaded by the Nigerian Shippers’Council an agency of the federal government under the transportation ministry.

 

Others that constitutes the committee include: Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Department for State Security (DSS) and Independent Corrupt Practices  and other Crimes Related Offences (ICPC).

 

 

Speaking at a working visit to management of Greenview Development Nigeria Limited (GDNL), Co-ordinator of NPPM Implementation Team , Mr. Moses Fadipe reiterated government decision to ensure that the concessionaires  embrace automated system in port operations.

 

While harping on reduction of ten days free period by the port concessionaires, Fadipe stressed the need for terminal operators to cooperation with the government in ensuring compliance to SOP adding that the team has come up with a timeline of March 1st 2021, for the new changes to reflect on debit notes of all the terminal operators.

 

The Coordinator pointed out that letters would be circulated to the  port concessionaires in all seaports by the end of the week on the need for them to comply with the rent free period as stipulated in the port manual.

 

 

Fadipe affirmed that the federal government would sanction erring port concessionaires who failed to comply with the directive.

 

“Any terminal operator that did not comply with that directive will be sanctioned and government will beam her searchlight on their operations,”he maintained.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He also queried the concessionaire on the level of their technogical adherence to port operations , noting that their activities must be driven with automation.

 

 

 

Fadipe, a deputy director with the council added that :” NPPM is not new in port operations but a trajectory steps of SOP in appraising the performances of ports operation.

 

“Government in her wisdom decided to breakdown the SOP effectively to the simplest manner for everybody to know the importance of port operations.”

 

He lamented that the downward trend of the nation’s  corruption performance index which is worrisome to government, hence the need to introduce NPPM documents, saying the Implementation team was set up to enforce the SOP

 

Fadipe also urged the terminal operators to study the documents, even as he appealed for the port concessionaires to report areas of challenges to the implementation committee in furtherance to proffer solutions to those bottlenecks confronting port operations.

 

He called on the service providers to work in synergy with the implementation team as part of efforts to tackle major issues confronting the shipping industry.

 

 

 

Also speaking, representative from NPA and Head of Industry, Associations and Port Promotion a Unit  Corporate and Strategic Communication, Mrs. Victoria Tarfi assured the terminal operators of a robust working relationship between NPPM Implementation team and the concessionaires,stressing that the committee has no doubt on the cooperation and commitment of the concessionaires .

 

 

 

Also speaking, General Manager Operations GDNL ,Alhaji Yakubu Abdullahi assured the NPPM Implementation team of the service providers total support adding that  Messrs. Dangote terminal would key in and support   government policies in port operations .

 

He noted that the meeting with the new team  was critical to port operations.

 

Abdullahi also stressed  that if the SOP is well implemented, seaport operations would be effective and management of GDNL will support the government to make progress.

 

“We are very prepared to assist the government to achieve success in the implementation of the SOP and we believe that stakeholders  will key in.

 

“We are putting in place all that is required by the government.

 

He promised that the terminal operator will do its best to meet all the requirements by the government assuring that the Dangote based terminal will work round the clock to measure up with the timeline  introduced by the NPPM team.

 

 

By Roland Ekama