Stakeholders call for sustained SOPs in port operations

Stakeholders in the maritime sector have emphasised the need for constant sensitisation of government officials and port operators to comply with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in port operations to eliminate corruption.

The call was made at a two-day training programme tagged, ‘Capacity Building on Compliance Function and Leadership for Port Officials,’ organised by the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) and the Convention on Business Integrity (CBI) in Lagos.

The training attracted officials of the Nigeria Customs Service, Port Health, ICPC, NDLEA, Nigeria Shippers’ Council, Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), truck owners, freight forwarders, private operators, among others.

They commended the gains recorded by the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) at ports, noting that sustaining it requires constant sensitisation of government officials and port operators.

The Chief Executive Officer of CBI, Mr. Soji Apampa, lauded the achievements of PSTT, saying that corrupt practices at Nigerian ports were reduced to 55 cases in 2022, compared to 84 cases in 2021

According to him, 128 cases were recorded in 2020, with 266 cases in 2019, adding: “We will see how many cases there will be in 2023.”

He said there have been tremendous improvements in the area of demand for bribes, un-receipted payments and other corrupt practices on the marine side of vessel clearance at Nigerian ports.

Apampa said the anti-corruption feats achieved at the quay and cargo sides, cannot be sustained except government officials and port operators imbibing the culture of compliance to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in port operations.

Speaking on the training, Apampa noted that it was aimed at training the trainers to help change the perception of people towards leadership in their various workplaces.

He also noted that the importance of the training is to spread the compliance gospel among the port users and government officials to reduce the cases of corrupt demands in vessel clearance.

“The whole world is looking at you and is impressed with what you are doing in Nigeria. The world is saying how Nigeria achieved this, we are impressed, we too need to go and tidy up our own house. That is how the world is reacting,” he said.