The House of Representatives has called on the
federal government to fully implement the Suppression of Piracy and other
Maritime Offences Act which provides for a legal framework to fight piracy in
the Gulf of Guinea.
It also urged the government to direct the Nigerian
Navy to safe-guard the waterways and partner other countries in the Gulf of
Guinea Commission as well as relevant security agencies of the United Nations to
checkmate activities of pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.
The House made the call after adopting the report
of the ad-hoc committee to determine why the Warri, Port Harcourt, Onne,
Calabar and Onitsha ports complexes are not being put to maximal use, which was
laid on Tuesday before the House at the plenary by the Committee Chairman, Hon.
Buba Yusuf Yakub.
The House also urged the government to direct the
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to account for the three
percent freight charges collected in the last 10 years, having failed to ensure
the security of Nigerian water ways.
The lawmakers equally demanded the investigation of
NIMASA over its alleged failure to secure Nigeria’s waterways despite the huge
sums being collected from ship owners.
The House urged "the federal government to direct
the Nigerian Navy to safeguard the waterways and partner other countries in
the Gulf of Guinea Commission as well as relevant security agencies of the
United Nations to checkmate activities of pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.
"To fully implement the Suppression of Piracy
and other Maritime Offences Act which provides for a legal framework to fight
piracy and create more conducive maritime environment."
The House also resolved to investigate the payment
of $50,000 to the Nigerian Navy before escorting vessels to its destination.
The lower chamber called on the Nigerian Ports
Authority (NPA) to ensure the provision of appropriate cargo handling infrastructure
for seamless port operations in the Eastern ports, while also calling on the NPA to enforce the provision of modern
cargo equipment as a prerequisite for engagement as an operator.
It also urged the NPA to dredge all the ports to
the minimum standard of 9 to13 metres so as to allow vessels into those zones
and also reduce siltation.
The House further resolved to investigate the
Ministry of Transportation and the NPA on all the dredging contracts awarded in
the last 10 years.
It urged the NPA to review the lease fees and
charges for the operators and to also consider deliberate implementation of a
regime to reduce port charges in other ports other than Lagos ports in other to
attract shippers.
The lower chamber also called on the NPA to review
the 10 percent incentives given to vessels going to the Eastern corridors by
removing the condition attached to it, thereby allowing all categories of
vessels to benefit from it as well as consider a return to the previous 30
percent enjoyed by operators.
The House further urged the federal government to
grant Sovereign Guarantee to investors to make the Calabar Deep Sea Port
succeed, as it charged the Ministry of Transportation to approve expeditiously
the complete overhauling of Rivers port as submitted by the NPA.
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