NPA releases list of eight approved agencies at port

Seun Abiola |

For the second time in less than a year, the Federal government has released the list of approved agencies at the port.

In a fresh list released by the Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA), the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), was added to the original list of seven agencies earlier allowed to operate at the ports.

In a press statement by the NPA GM Communication and Strategy Abdullahi Goje, the NPA explained that the clarification became necessary in order to restore sanity into the operations at the ports.

” As part of efforts to improve efficiency in port operations, the Vice President and chairman of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has directed the Nigerian Ports Authority to ensure that only eight federal government agencies are allowed to operate and have physical representation at all port locations in the country.

“According to the directive, agencies allowed representation at the ports are Nigerian Customs Service (NCS),Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA),Nigeria Police Force, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control(NAFDAC), Department of State Security (DSS), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA),Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) and Port Health.

“Agencies not mentioned in the list above should, according to the directive, vacate the ports premises and carry out their regulatory functions from outside the port locations.

“The NPA remains committed to the determination of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to enhance ease of doing business and improve conditions under which business is carried out in all ports locations across the country.

“The Authority solicits for the kind support of all agencies and stakeholders in the Nigerian maritime sector towards actualizing the noble goal of making Nigeria the preferred hub for West and Central Africa”, the NPA pleaded.

The inclusion of NAFDAC has now officially confirmed the return of the agency to the port after being excluded in the first list of 2017.