National Daily

Govt urged to partner with community leaders

By UGOCHIKWU NWADIKE PH

CONCERNED with the weak security situation in the Niger Delta region and Rivers State in particular, the National President of the Association of Nigerian licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Chief Ernest Elochukwu has called for government partnership with community leaders to curb the situation.

Chief Elochukwu who agreed that the genuine agitations of the people of the region has been hijacked by criminalities observed that these culprits are indigenes of villages and communities in these region believes that their community leader are in better position to talk to them meaningfully.

He expressed disappointment on the situation and forecasted impending danger of complete exodus of both indigenous and foreign companies from the once bubbling Port Harcourt if the ugly trend is not checked quickly.

Speaking to National Daily in Port Harcourt, the Chief Executive Officer of Nestillo Gateways group called for wider spread of the on-going campaign against kidnap and militancy stressing that it would help in reminding the public that the activities of these people is on and there is need for them to remain at alert at all time.

He disclosed that the maritime sector is the worst hit in the state as the activities of these youths both on lands and waters affect them drastically. He noted that with this situation, Nigerian maritime can no longer meet up with the international safety code in maritime and aviation sectors.

Chief Ernest who is not happy over lull in the Maritime sector attributed it to poor security system in the nation boarder linking it to activities of militants

He also regretted that federal government has lost billion of naira in the maritime sector as a result of militant attack.
He called on the federal government to look for better ways to address the high level of insecurity in the Niger Delta if they want maritime business to boom in the country. Chief Ernest said, now vessels cannot arrive into Port Harcourt port rather they prefer to divert it to Lagos and Otta to avoid militant attack. He observes that maritime operators had suffered a hardship because they have to go to Lagos to clear their consignments. Chief Elochukwu identified host communities as one of the major obstacles affecting maritime business, he added most time those who claim to be host communities always demands for compensation from operators before vessels off-load their goods.

According to him before this time, estate developer have invested a lot in building service flats and quarters which were in high demand by the expatriates and well placed Nigerians workers the insecurity situation around Port Harcourt show that many of these flats and quarters are empty because those expatriates that occupied the building as their residential area have fled out of the country. The billions of money invested into these buildings appears to be wasted

Also speaking, the new Assistant Comptroller-General zone C Nigeria customs, Mr. Sani Abubakar confirmed that the security situation in the state has diverted the business of cargo clearing away from the state.

Mr. Abubakar who is barely one week as the assistant comptroller of customs in the state said that the information so far gathered, that maritime sector in the state has suffered untold hardship as the result of insecurity disclosing that most of the clearing jobs that used to be done herer are now being done in Lagos and called on the government both state and federal nto intensify efforts to check the situation to bring the state back to its former state.