Onitsha Chamber Of commerce Blasts Federal Government Over Onitsha River Port

 

Odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com exclusively reports that the brand new Onitsha Port, has been abandoned by the Federal Government. And that pissed off the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA),

Odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com quotes ONICCIMA as saying, ‘’We regret the baffling apathy of private sector operators towards taking advantage of the port for their businesses, despite the efforts of National Inland Water-Ways Authority (NIWA), the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA),  Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC), and to create necessary awareness of the potentials of the port.

Read the details of the Communiqué as drafted below

COMMUNIQUE OF THE 7^TH EDITION OF “THE PERSPECTIVE” OF ONITSHA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, HELD ON THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014

A. INTRODUCTION

1. “The Perspective” is the annual lecture series of Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA), and is aimed at providing a veritable forum for the discussion, and proffering of solutions to critical developmental challenges of our nation. It has, as its major objectives, the formulation of policy alternatives and participatory advocacy on the vital needs of our society and nation.

2. The 7^th edition of “The Perspective” was held on Thursday, June 5, 2014 and had the theme “Product Quality Control in a competitive Economy: A Panacea for National Economic Development”. It also featured a second lecture tagged “Harnessing the Potentials of Onitsha River Port for Economic Development of South East Nigeria”.

3. In his welcome address on the occasion, the President of (ONICCIMA), Chief (Dr.) Sir Tim Anosike, in welcoming the guests, commended the Anambra State Governor, Chief Dr. Willie Obiano, for his brilliant achievements in the State; expressing satisfaction with the Governor’s “strong political will, clear focus and single-minded determination, which he has brought to bear in the discharge of his duties”. He pledged ONICCIMA’s full support for the State Government.

Chief Dr. Anosike, pleaded with Governor Obiano to intervene in the dispute over the Chamber’s Permanent Trade Fair Site, with a view to assisting the Chamber to regain the site for the overall benefit of the State. He also informed the Governor of a N2m pledge made by the Anambra State Government under Chief Dr. Chinwoke Mbadinuju, which has remained unredeemed, as well as implored the Governor for a multipurpose vehicle for the Chamber, among others.

4. Having reviewed the two lectures, the discussions on the lectures and the interactive session that followed, the Communiqué Committee of Onitsha Chamber of Commerce and Industry here presents the resolutions of the 7^th edition of “The Perspective”.

B. OUR OBSERVATIONS

1. We note unequivocally that product quality control is an unquestionable ingredient in not only achieving sustainable economic development in an increasingly competitive global economy, but also in attaining the economic transformation blueprint of the Jonathan Administration.

2. We lament, as identified, the nation’s lack of capacity to over-come technical barriers to trade, and compliance with the requirements of international agreements on products/services standards, which are the prerequisites for market access as well as key factors to Nigeria’s economic competitiveness.

3. We regret the brazen lack of coordination and synergy in the operations of such critical regulatory agencies as Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and other towards achieving the desired product and service quality.

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4. We commend the efforts of Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Consumer Protection Council (CPC), National Communication Commissions (NCC) and other such agencies for their individual efforts in raising the national level of awareness of products and services quality control and striving to ensure the maintenance and sustenance of adequate product and service quality throughout the nation.

5. The Chamber also commends the Hon. Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, for inaugurating the steering committee on the National Quality Polity (NQP), as this would ensure that products produced in Nigeria are both globally competitive and meet required standards for export.

6. We note that Onitsha as a large market town, (indeed the largest in West  Africa) and its cosmopolitan population make Onitsha River Port very strategic for distribution of goods and services throughout the South-East Zone and beyond.

7. We commend the federal government for dredging the River Niger and for the facilities put in place at the Onitsha River Port, including the jetty, cranes, forklifts, warehouse, staff quarters, container stacking yard, etc, which have helped to increase the investment potentials of the port.

We view with utter dismay the inability of the Federal Government to fast track putting the Onitsha port into effective use by providing the remaining necessary logistics, including ensuring the full compliment of port regulatory agencies. The port was commissioned on August 30, 2012 by President Goodluck Jonathan, but regrettably, little or no port activity is taking place there.

8. We regret the baffling apathy of private sector operators towards taking advantage of the port for their businesses, despite the efforts of National Inland Water-Ways Authority (NIWA), Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC), and the Onitsha Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (ONICCIMA), to create necessary awareness of the potentials of the port.

C. Our Position

1. We urge that the federal government should develop policies and institutional framework that relate to standards, meteorology and testing that would enable SMEs not only to appreciate the need for product quality control, and conformity with market requirements, but also adhere strictly to products and services set standards in their operations, at all times.

2. We demand that all relevant regulatory agencies having to do with product quality control and standards in the country should, as a matter of necessity, engage in continuous quality awareness campaigns, including workshops, town hall meetings, etc to deepen both producers’, importers’, and consumers’ understanding of the imperative for product quality control.

3. We reason that the regulatory bodies responsible for product quality standardization, should make the product specifications clear and unambiguous, specifying adequate technical conditions that would enable quality requirements in the product manufacture to be fully achieved. Such regulations/requirements should also be accessible for stakeholder

4. The preponderance of propaganda and promotional stunts noticed in and around many product groups in Nigeria should not be mistaken for quality.  To attain any set standard of quality, Nigerian companies should embrace continuous staff development through comprehensive education and training/retraining.

5. We urge that all regulatory agencies concerned with product quality control should be adequately strengthened and empowered to effectively discharge their core mandates, including continuous monitoring and evaluation of already certified products, to ensure maintenance of set standards and sustenance of already attained quality in product and service delivery.

6. We urge that Anambra State Government should urgently set-up a high powered contact/facilitation committee to liaise with all relevant institutions, authorities and persons with a view to removing every bottleneck and impediment that have delayed the full commencement of activities at Onitsha River Port. This Committee should be drawn from government, port regulatory agencies, organized private sector, shippers and market associations.

7. As a direct means of boosting activities at the River Port, both federal and South Eastern States’ Governments should route their imports through the Onitsha River Port, since the port has the status of ‘final destination’. This would help grow patronage and popularize the port.

8. To further boost and popularize Onitsha River Port, government should provide an enticing package of incentives to the port users, including removing every foreseeable bottleneck against smooth, effective and sustainable port use.

Conclusion: The challenge posed by insecurity and general social restiveness would certainly be diminishing with every successful act geared towards expanding and deepening Nigeria’s economic indices as these would benefit job and wealth creation. Attaining the desired quality in products and services as well as entirely halting the dilapidation already visiting the brand new Onitsha Port, which ‘The Perspective’ lecture seeks to gain, will entirely benefit the nation. The Chamber, therefore, urges all concerned to adopt for implementation, the well considered opinions expressed in this communiqué.