There are strong indications that the Feder al Government will soon establish mobile courts at the major seaports and airports in the country to summarily try violators of its various directives on the Ease of Doing Business as it relates to the seaports.
Investigations showed that the courts which are to start seating any moment from now will impose fines on offenders of rules relating to smooth implementation of the 24 hours operations at the ports which the Presidency has rolled out to facilitate clearing of goods and enhance the efficiency of the seaports.
It was understood that culprits will be touts found within and outside the ports premises, officials , which are found operating when they are not on duty and operatives of security agencies which have been barred from functioning directly at the ports .
They will also include the personnel of the recognized security agencies who are performing official functions when they are not on duty, personnel who fail to function for 24 hours as well as illegal entrants into the ports among others.
It will be recalled that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo in a bid to encourage investments into the economy , eliminate bottlenecks to fa st business transactions, signed some Executive Orders into law last month , part of which entails the take off of 24 hours operations at the ports in Nigeria starting from this month.
The implication of this directive is that approved security agencies to function at the seaports are now expected to work for 24 hours , in shifts to ensure that cargoes are delivered and cleared all day as against the old order when only terminals at the ports function for 24 hours.
Already , the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has alerted freight forwarders and licensed customs agents on behalf of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents(ANLCA) to ensure they register with the two bodies to facilitate collection of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria( CRFFN) and the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) identity card for access into the ports.
The NPA , the landlord of the seaports on behalf of the Federal Government has begun the implementation of the direvtives on the Ease of Doing Business saying it is committed towards the execution of the Executive Orders as well as as the improvement of conditions under which business is carried out in all ports across the country
It has named eight security agencies as approved by the federal government in 2011 .The agencies include the NPA , the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Ports Health, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Police Force (NPF) the Department of State Service (DSS) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency(NDLEA).
The NPA said that other agencies not mentioned in the list above should remain outside the port premises while the Authority develops standard procedures to facilitate their seamless operation.
The authority’s management solicited for the kind support of all agencies and stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime sector towards actualising the noble goal of making Nigeria a destination of choice for all legitimate businesses
The Police, NPA security personnel and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) Enforcement Unit is expected to complement the efforts of the Mobile Courts to ensure that violators of the regulations on the Ease of Doing Business are arrested and subsequently tried.
