Mkpoikana Udoma
15 November 2017, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – The Comptroller of Customs, Port Harcourt Area II Comand, Onne, Mr. Bashir Abubakar, has assured that seaports in the eastern part of the country are safe for business.
Abubakar gave the assurance when members of Maritime and Energy Media Practitioners of Nigeria, MEMPON, paid him a courtesy visit in Onne, Rivers State.
The Customs chief noted that since importers were using crime as an excuse to avoid eastern ports, the command would work round the clock to rid the ports under him of any form of crime and criminality.
He hinted that such was the idea of the Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd), saying that he would only key into the project.
He added that inspection of cargo and other practices at the ports were in line with the best international practice based on the Comptroller-General’s directives on ease of doing business.
“Seaports in the eastern part of the country are safe for all kinds of business.
“Importers and other port users from this area who used other ports are not fair to themselves.
“Importing goods through other countries like Cotonou, is against the spirit of patriotism, because all eastern ports including that of Warri in Delta State are safer for business, quality vessels berths here,” he said.
The Onne Customs boss also said plans have reached advanced stage towards making the eastern ports huge revenue earning points among the seaports in the country.
In anther development, Secretary of the Ijaw Youth Council, Worldwide Mr. Alfred Kemepado Nimizigha, while speaking on restructuring against the backdrop of Nigeria’s 57th independence anniversary, condemned over-dependence on Lagos Port.
Stressing that the Niger Delta will be developed if the country is restructured, he opined that the restructuring of the country should be in such a way that “every part would be productive rather than taking from the centre unproductively and weighing down its unproductivity on other components of the country”.