Recently updated on November 23rd, 2022 at 01:35 pm
Nigeria have emerged winner of the Basel Institute on Governance 2022 Outstanding Achievement in Collective Action Award in November 2022.
The collaborative efforts of the Federal Government of Nigeria with the private sector and a civil society group, Convention on Business Integrity (CBI), to curb corruption at the sea-ports earned the international praise and won the first ever “Outstanding Achievement in Collective Action Award” of Switzerland-based Basel Institute on Governance.
This was disclosed when a delegation of the CBi paid a courtesy call on Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to Mr. Olusoji Apampa, CBI Co-Founder, who disclosed this, the success recorded is now attracting international reviews as countries such as Egypt, Ukraine and India are planning to adopt the “Nigerian miracle” model to produce similar gains in their own ports’ operations.
The international award recognised the work of the Nigerian MACN, which created a real time-based help desk to resolve complaints and concerns of shipping companies as soon as they berth at the ports.
The CBi presented the international award to the Vice President during the courtesy call said to him.
Receiving the delegation and the award at the Presidential Villa, the Vice President praised the CBI and the MACN, commending them for their efforts alongside FG agencies, noting that the Buhari Administration will continue to support initiatives that improves the business environment and economy in general.
According to Professor Yemi Osinbajo 2022 Outstanding Achievement in Collective Action Award:
“We need to get the attention of the young people also. This is something we have to do.
Based on the Executive Order 001, ICPC conducted a successful sting operation in 2019 to support FG’s port reforms. Then in December 2020, the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) comprising the Shippers Council, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, (ICPC) and the Department of State Services (DSS), was established.
In addition, the Nigeria Ports Process Manual (NPPM) was launched and the PSTT, led by the Shippers Council, was given the responsibility to implement and enforce compliance.
According to the MACN, before the PSTT was formed, there were 266 cases of demands for large, unreceipted cash payments by officials at the ports in the process of vessel clearance.
Such practice has now dropped to 128 cases following the establishment of PSTT in 2020. By 2021, the cases fell further to 84 cases, and so far in 2022, it has remained below 50 cases.
In the same vein, prior to the intervention of the PSTT, Port Calls were costing on average $150,000 per vessel per visit (including illicit demands and the cost of delays occasioned by trying to avoid the illicit demands). This has now dropped to an average cost of $20,000 per port call.
The group further noted that since the FG instituted the Help Desk in 2020, it has monitored just under 700 ships arrival to Nigerian ports.”
