By; RAYMOND TEDUNJAYE, Lagos.
For ports management to be effective in Nigeria, there is need for enactment of vibrant legislative Instruments to enhance proper management.
This was the view of Hon. Mufutau Egberongbe, a member of the National Assembly (NASS), representing Apapa Federal Constituency.
According to him, ” For ports management to be effective, there is need for the enactment of ports laws which have modern flavours”.
Egberongbe hinted that it was based on this belief that he sponsored a bill for the
amendment of the Lagos Port Operations (Special Provisions) Act CapL3LFN2004(theAct).
He explained that the sponsored bill seeks to correct the anomalies in the Act of the Lagos Port Operation Committee for the effectivedischarge of their ports management duties.
Speaking at a one conference organized by the Association of Maritime Journalists of Nigeria (AMJON) in Lagos, Egberongbe held the view that all port operation legislations have to be urgently reviewed tobring it to terms with modern port realities.
” With vibrant legislative instrument eitherby introduction of new laws or amendment of existing laws, majority if not all theproblems affecting ports management will be solved and our ports will be positioned forhigh priority among operational computer applications in ports.
Further,with the enactment of legislative instruments that mandate portmanagement authorities to invests in technologies that allow them to predict andaccurately measure water levels, current speed and direction, air temperature, andwater salinity, the problems associated with tide level will be solved”, he stressed.
While justifying the call for the amendment of the Lagos Port Operations Act, the law maker pointed out that the Act failed to make specific provisions.
According to him, “Firstly,the Act failed to make specific provisions on the tenure of members of the Committee and how vacancies in the Committee would be filled if a vacancy ever arises.It might seem to imply that members of the Committee are appointed to serve adinfinitum regardless of how effective or ineffective their performances are in managing Lagos ports.
Secondly,the fines imposed by the Act for penalties which currently stands at 1000naira is another draw back of the Act.To set the sum of 1000 naira as fine for aninfraction will not serve as an effective deterrent for would be offenders.
Also,the Act did not state the qualifications of persons who are to be appointed asmembers of the Committee.This leaves much to be desired because without astipulation as to the qualifications of members of the committee, persons who havenot experienced in ports management will find themselves in the Committee and thiswouldnt argur well for and effective port management”.
Egberongbe therefore posited that the legislature must therefore continue to live up to its responsibility of vibrant lawmaking in order to achieve effective ports management,
