Reps To Deliberate On Ports & Harbours Bill Soon     

Stories By FUNSO OLOJO

A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, has said that the Ports and Harbours Bill will be brought up in few weeks' time for deliberations.   
Ihedioha disclosed this in Lagos last week  at the launch of a book titled: Contemporary Issues in Maritime Industry, edited by Mr Sesan Onileimo.
The bill ,which has been in and out of the National Assembly since the last administration, is expected to give legal backing to ports reforms, including concession.   
Ihedioha ,who served as the Chairman of the House Committee on Marine Transport between 1999 and 2007, recalled that eight maritime bills were passed into law by the last administration.   
The legislator, who is still a member of the House, also noted that he sponsored a bill which was signed into law in 2007 and this led to the creation of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria .   
Also speaking on the occasion, the Chairman of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria , Mr Tony Nwabunike acknowledged the immense roles played by Ihedioha in ensuring that the council was established.   
Nwabunike was optimistic that the council would inject professionalism into freight forwarding.   
He stated that the council would also partner the ICPC to stop all acts of corruption at the ports, adding: “we will develop zero tolerance for corruption at the ports.”
According to the freight forwarder, the Act 2007 which established the council is purely binding on those of us practicing freight forwarding.   
``In short period of time, we will roll out the council's guidelines and work strictly in line with the 7-point agenda of the Federal Government'.   
The book reviewer, a maritime lawyer, Mr Emeka Akabogu said that the author wrote about the defunct Nigerian National Shipping Line, Customs operations, the activities of shippers and freight forwarders.  
Akabogu also said that the book gave an insight into destination inspection of imports and inland container depots.   
He explained that the book also discussed port concession, capacity development in the maritime industry focusing on the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).   
He said that the book also gave an insight into the politics and power play of maritime bills.   
According to Akabogu, the book focuses on piracy, fishing and seafaring.   
The reviewer said that the book compared Nigeria with Malaysia which had seven ships as at 1985 and today has 121 ships, while Nigeria from 19 ships had `zero ships today'.   
Akabogu recommended the 462-paged book which is divided into four segments to freight forwarders, journalists, lawyers, politicians and to those who have interest in following events in the maritime industry.   
The author also did extensive interviews with some maritime personalities who bared their minds on developments in the industry.
The author, a maritime journalist with an experience spanning 14 years in the industry, was a former President of Maritime Reporters' Association of Nigeria (MARAN).