Maritime Nigeria

Main Menu

  • Home
  • News
  • Interviews
  • Maritime Info
  • Photo Gallery
  • Fact
  • Profiles

logo

Header Banner

Maritime Nigeria

  • Home
  • News
    • Maritime Academy: A Very Critical National Asset-Dr. Okonna

      Jul 31, 2025
      0
    • "Efficient Sea Ports Crucial To Africa's Economic Growth"-Dr. Dantsoho

      Jul 30, 2025
      0
    • Nigeria's IMO Council Bid Gains Traction With MOWCA Executives

      Jul 30, 2025
      0
    • Customs Urge Nigerians To Comply With Visa Regulations

      Jul 30, 2025
      0
    • "MAN A Pivotal Institution For The Blue Economy" Senator Eshinlokun

      Jul 29, 2025
      0
    • Nigeria Customs Set To Recover ₦379.5Billion From 223 Companies

      Jul 25, 2025
      0
    • Seme Command Records N1.5b Revenue, Makes N1.2b Seizures

      Jul 24, 2025
      0
    • SON Celebrate Inuwa As Board Chairman

      Jul 21, 2025
      0
    • "How JournalNG Emerged Best Maritime Magazine"-Kagbare

      Jul 21, 2025
      0
  • Interviews
    • Nigeria Takes Leadership Of MOWCA

      Nov 18, 2021
      0
    • APM Participates in UK Trade Expo

      Oct 31, 2021
      0
    • Reps Seek Admission at MAN

      Dec 7, 2020
      0
    • NIMASA URGE SHIP OWNERS TO RENEW CABOTAGE LICENSES

      Oct 5, 2020
      0
    • FG Sacks Aboloma As NAIC Gets New EDs

      Aug 28, 2020
      0
    • Britain Celebrate Nigerian In Covid Efforts

      Jul 26, 2020
      0
    • Zuckerberg Backs Trump Against Twitter

      May 28, 2020
      0
    • NAFDAC DG Sheds Light On Chloroquine, Herbals, Masks and Covid19

      May 12, 2020
      0
    • Reps Threaten MDAs

      Feb 24, 2020
      0
  • Maritime Info
    • 2023 POP: Minister Task Cadets On Blue Economy

      Dec 15, 2023
      0
    • Rector, Trainees Excited, Laud FG On Modern Academy

      Jan 26, 2023
      0
    • Buhari Redeploys Minister As NPA, NIMASA, MAN, Others Get New Boards

      Apr 7, 2022
      0
    • World Bank Endorse Nigerian Ports, Partners Navy On Capacity Building

      Mar 19, 2022
      0
    • NIMASA Commend Nigerian Navy, Reassures On Floating Dock

      Feb 9, 2022
      0
    • MAN Unveils Lighthouse For Training of Cadets

      Jan 27, 2022
      0
    • shipping

      Singapore Strait Dangerous To Shipping-ReCAAP

      Jan 24, 2022
      0
    • Lekki Deep Sea Port Will Increase Port Efficiency-Amaechi

      Jan 24, 2022
      0
    • Fair Competition: NSC Partners FCCPC For Effectiveness

      Jan 21, 2022
      0
  • Photo Gallery
    • SERAP Calls for Probe of Entire Privatization Processes 1999-2011

      Dec 4, 2017
      0
    • IMO Election: South Africa, Kenya, Liberia, Morroco and Egypt Make Category C

      Dec 2, 2017
      0
    • Maersk Ship on Fire as Coy Launches Six Container Lifting Tech

      Nov 2, 2016
      0
    • Captured Seafarers Languish In Captivity without Ransom

      Nov 1, 2016
      0
    • Niger Delta: Militants Ask FG to Include Former Agitators in Negotiations

      Nov 1, 2016
      0
    • Self-Audit: NIMASA Set to Review 3% Freight Charge

      Nov 1, 2016
      0
    • Recession: Japanese Shipping Companies to Merge

      Oct 31, 2016
      0
    • NSC Partners ICS on Capacity Building

      Oct 31, 2016
      0
    • AGAIN, APAPA CUSTOMS SURPASS MONTHLY TARGET WITH N33B COLLECTION

      Oct 5, 2016
      0
  • Fact
    • Maritime Police Boss Celebrate Workers

      May 1, 2025
      0
    • “VIN Is A Trade Tool, Not Punitive”-Customs

      Mar 2, 2022
      0
    • Blackmailers, False Publishers and Their Agents: Court Clears Rector

      Feb 18, 2022
      0
    • MAN Unveils Lighthouse For Training of Cadets

      Jan 27, 2022
      0
    • "APM Terminals Is Beyond Moving Boxes Around"-Laursen

      Jan 24, 2022
      0
    • MWUN: Welfare, Safety Our Priority-Adeyanju

      Dec 27, 2021
      0
    • Reversing the Trend: Koko Breaks Record at NPA

      Dec 24, 2021
      0
    • Minister Demands More From MAN At Passing Out Parade

      Dec 20, 2021
      0
    • MARITIME NIGERIA TASK NIMASA ON MARITIME DEVELOPMENT

      Dec 15, 2021
      0
  • Profiles
    • CMA CGM Brings AI Onboard

      Jun 5, 2018
      0
    • Customs Notify 577 Officers of Retirement by Eguono Odjegba

      Jan 12, 2018
      0
    • Over 100 Persons Feared Dead in Mediterranean Ship Wreck

      Nov 3, 2016
      0
    • Ballast Water: Panama Signs Up

      Oct 24, 2016
      0
    • Ist Half Report: Customs generate N385.7bn revenue

      Aug 15, 2016
      0
    • Minister/MD Speeches at the Launch of NPA's CCCIS

      Jul 23, 2016
      0
    • Face off Imminent as Dakuku Warn IOCs to Sit Up or Stay ...

      Jul 22, 2016
      0
    • Hadiza, Welcome to NPA

      Jul 16, 2016
      0
    • Habib Abdullahi Sacked Again from NPA

      Jul 12, 2016
      0
  • Maritime Academy: A Very Critical National Asset-Dr. Okonna

  • “Efficient Sea Ports Crucial To Africa’s Economic Growth”-Dr. Dantsoho

  • Nigeria’s IMO Council Bid Gains Traction With MOWCA Executives

  • Customs Urge Nigerians To Comply With Visa Regulations

  • “MAN A Pivotal Institution For The Blue Economy” Senator Eshinlokun

FeaturedMaritime InfoNews
Home›Featured›“Corrupt Officials, Extortions, Being Eliminated”-Bello-Koko

“Corrupt Officials, Extortions, Being Eliminated”-Bello-Koko

By Editor
Nov 8, 2021
931
0
Share:

As Errant Security Personnel Sacked or Redeployed

 

Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko Ag. Managing Director, NPA

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is taking stringent measures to tackle unwholesome tendencies in maritime business to entrench confidence in the system by redeployment of security officials that had stayed for a long time on their beats, acting Managing Director, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, has said.

According to Bello Koko, “What we have discovered is that there are security officials that have been working within the area we call the red zone, which is the Tin Can, Apapa area, for four, five or six years, and they are still there.

“We have requested that they should be posted out of that location and a new set of people that will actually and truly work for Nigeria taken there.

“We have had cases where we tried to establish proof of the people that were said to have been extorted because you need to have proof, but there is none.

“So, what we have now done is to look at how many checkpoints should be on the roads. We held a meeting with all the security agencies about three weeks ago and agreed to set up a team and identify how many checkpoints we should have along that corridor.

“If we identified six checkpoints, for instance, it means that when you wake the next day and you find 16 checkpoints, that means there are 10 illegal checkpoints.

“It was also agreed that it is only right that any of the security formations, be it LASTMA, Police, Army or NPA, that is posting security operatives to the checkpoints, should have the names of officers posted to each checkpoints. We believe that if we do that, and there is proof of extortion on a certain date, at a certain location, then we should be able to know the officers involved in it.

“But the interesting fact in all of this is that things have evolved now. You now have area boys they call ‘ECOMOG boys’, who do the collection for them. A few weeks ago, it was even more like a battle on who extorts at which location. They stand by the side and extort while others are by the side waiting to receive their share.

“Let me also state this clearly that we have had the cooperation of the Navy, Army, Police and everyone that is involved in this; they have made efforts to tackle every unwholesome tendency. Many actions were taken by the Navy and I thank them for that.

“I know that the Police also took action to reduce the vices, but sometimes you have errant officers that are off duty and they show up in uniforms with guns and perpetrate destructions. At the NPA, we have dealt with security men indicted over unwholesome tendencies. We are doing a lot and shall soon rid the ports of such vices,” he said.

Bello-Koko also spoke on the agonising Apapa gridlock and declared that the
deployment of infrastructure under the Electronic Call-Up system for trucks, had eliminated it by more than 80 per cent.

“The fact that the gridlock has reduced by 80 per cent is verifiable. In addition to the deployment of the Eto platform, we are currently promoting multi-modal transport systems through the use of barges for the movement of cargo in and out of the ports. From our observation, this development has tremendously reduced congestion at most terminals, thereby improving ports efficiency.

“The little remnants of the gridlock in some areas in Apapa are due to the very poor state of the Tin Can Port-Mile 2 corridor, which is under construction. When the road rehabilitation is completed, the little traffic you see now will be completely eliminated.

“Most of the road networks on the Tin Can, Cocoa Nut –Mile 2 axis are at various stages of reconstructions and so the eto infrastructure has not been deployed in that area,” he said.

Bello-Koko explained that as part of efforts to deploy the electronic call up system, about 27-29 truck transit parks were developed across Lagos State with the collaboration of relevant stakeholders, including the Lagos State Government.

“Of this figure, only about eight have fully deployed the eto infrastructure which includes automated gating systems and other Information Technology IT equipment. Apart from some of the challenges we enumerated earlier, which border on human interference, the e-call up has been able to streamline cargo evacuation and truck movements, thereby bringing a level of sanity to the roads in Apapa”.

“The disappearance of the Apapa gridlock could be attributed partly to the new policy on empty containers which compels shipping lines to take at least 80 per cent of their empty containers.

“We monitor this to ensure that they take this number of containers before they sail away,” he said.

Bello-Koko also spoke on other seaports in the eastern part of the country and why importers were not utilising them to reduce pressure on those in Lagos.

“There are many other ports outside Lagos like the Calabar, Warri, Onne and Rivers Ports, but NPA cannot decide for consignees (importers) where they will take their cargoes to.

“We understand that about 70 per cent of the cargoes coming into Nigeria comes in through Lagos. There is a high concentration of industries in Lagos and Ogun.

“It is only most likely that any importer of any raw material that is going to those factories in Lagos or Ogun will actually bring them in through the Lagos Ports.

“But what we have done is to offer tariff incentives in those port locations so that it will encourage shipping lines and importers to patronise them.

“It has started working and we have seen a gradual increase in the tonnage and we are hoping there will be a jump but we are not seeing that jump yet,” he said.

NAN

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)

Related

Previous Article

Nigeria Government Issues Security Guidelines For Vessels ...

Next Article

Nigeria Task GoG Countries To Halt Piracy/Crimes

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Related articles More from author

  • Maritime InfoNews

    World Bank Endorse Nigerian Ports, Partners Navy On Capacity Building

    Mar 19, 2022
    By Editor
  • News

    IMF, University of Oxford Launch “PortWatch”

    Nov 16, 2023
    By Editor
  • News

    Ag. CGC Meet Area Controllers, Editors in Lagos

    Jul 16, 2023
    By Editor
  • FactMaritime InfoNews

    Maritime Security: Buhari Commission Defense Boats, Crafts

    Dec 9, 2021
    By Editor
  • News

    Lekki Port Excites Minister With Economic Prospects

    Aug 22, 2022
    By Editor
  • maritime safety
    FactMaritime InfoNews

    Port State Control

    Mar 16, 2016
    By Editor

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

  • Maritime InfoNews

    Jamoh Takes Over at NIMASA

  • Maritime InfoNews

    Piracy In Asia Declines

  • News

    “Be Alert” Mamora Caution Nigerians

Looking For Something?

Read From

  • Agriculture
  • Customs Operations
  • Fact
  • Featured
  • Interviews
  • Maritime Info
  • News
  • One Question
  • Photo Gallery
  • Profiles
  • sports

Just In

News

Maritime Academy: A Very Critical National Asset-Dr. Okonna

As MAN Trains 4, 595 Professionals, Restores Connection to National Grid, Begins Rewiring The Acting Rector, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, MAN, Oron, Dr. Kevin Okonna, has again emphasized the critical ...
  • “Efficient Sea Ports Crucial To Africa’s Economic Growth”-Dr. Dantsoho

    By Editor
    Jul 30, 2025
  • Nigeria’s IMO Council Bid Gains Traction With MOWCA Executives

    By Editor
    Jul 30, 2025
  • Customs Urge Nigerians To Comply With Visa Regulations

    By Editor
    Jul 30, 2025
  • “MAN A Pivotal Institution For The Blue Economy” Senator Eshinlokun

    By Editor
    Jul 29, 2025
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
© 2013 Maritime Nigeria | All Rights Reserved