Stories by Isaac Anumihe
Nigeria’s maritime industry can best be described as a house of commotion—a place where respect for law and authority have lost their meanings. It is a place where hate comments, and hate actions take place with effortless ease. It is simply an industry embroiled in turmoil, court cases and disobedience. Yet the maritime industry is a place where the nation generates over N150 billion a week. A few of such radicalism can suffice.
ANLCA vs NAGAFF
Association of Nigeria Customs Licensed Agents (ANLCA) and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) have been holding themselves at each other’s jugular for several years now over the collection of Practitioners’ Operating Fees (POF). ANLCA had gone to court to contest a directive by the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarders (CRFFN) to allow NAGAFF benefit from POF. According to the members of ANLCA, most of the NAGAFF members have no registered firms and can be regarded as touts in the industry. Till today, their case is still in court.
FMOT vs MAN, Oron
Following the uneasy calm created by leadership tussle in the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), Oron, the Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT) under the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi set up a six-man committee to reposition the academy and to resolve the protracted squabble among the academic staff of the academy. The committee had the mandate to recommend how the academy should be run seamlessly to restore sanity. But this triggered a strong disapproval by the students, academic staff and the Oron Community to the extent that the academic work was disrupted for days. The community and the academy are still in confused state, not knowing the way to go and not respecting the minister’s view point.
NLNG vs NIMASA
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) had blocked the Bonny Channels of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) for 22 days for refusing to pay NIMASA the statutory taxes and dues.
But NLNG had claimed it was still enjoying a five-year tax holiday which was given to it by the government’s agency before it started business.
But when NIMASA insisted on payment, NLNG filed a case at the Federal High Court, Lagos against NIMASA, seeking a judicial determination on, among other things, the legality of NIMASA’s demand.
After a four-year legal battle, the Federal High Court resolved the case in favour of NLNG.
But NIMASA headed back to the appeal court to challenge the judgement of the Federal High Court.
Till today the two warring parties are still in court.
NPA vs Intels
Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) recently terminated the pilotage contract between it and a logistics firm, Integrated Logistic Facilities and Services (Intels) over non-compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.
But Intels’ management had kicked against the termination of the pilotage agreement with NPA.
Intels said that the termination of the agency’s agreement was “clearly preposterous and the consequences highly injurious” to the interests of Nigeria. The company also hinted that the development could lead to its withdrawal from the multi-million dollar Badagry Deep Seaport project. This has led to exchange of hot words between the two organisations. It is not unlikely that the two warring parties will end up in the court, soon.
NPA vs NDLEA
In the wake of the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s order for all the seaports and airports to resume 24-hour operation to facilitate the ease of doing business in Nigeria, a meeting of the stakeholders headed by the Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, was held with a view to effecting the executive order. After the meeting, only seven out of about 14 agencies of government were allowed to operate in the ports. But NDLEA, which was one of the agencies excluded from the ports refused to leave the ports in defiance of the order.
According to the chief executive of NDLEA, Mohammad Abdallah, the operations of his agency at the seaports is statutory and had been endorsed by the Federal Government in an executive order issued by the then Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo.
“I wish to state unequivocally that NDLEA has the mandate of the Federal Government to carry out full counter-narcotic activities at the seaports. As a responsible agency of government, we consider the misrepresentation of facts as a slight on the Presidential Executive Orders on the ease of doing business,” he said.
Till date NDLEA has not obeyed that order.
Amaechi vs Maritime reporters
The confusion and disorderly conduct also played out among the journalists covering the beat as there are several groups of journalists reporting the maritime beat. Those groups include, Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN), Maritime Correspondents Association of Nigeria (MACON), the League of Publishers, Association of Maritime Journalists (AMJON), Shipping Correspondents Association of Nigeria (SCAN) and some non-aligned members.
So, when the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi was appointed to supervise the industry, he was alarmed with the number of associations covering one beat. All his efforts to bring all the motley associations under one umbrella were rebuffed. Even the intervention of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) did not help matters. Till date, there are still several associations covering the beat.
Unfortunately, all these cases are taking place simultaneously and this has impacted negatively on the economy a great deal.