NPA Chairman Urges Stakeholders To Fight Waterways Insecurity

Chairman of the Board of the Nigeria Ports Authority, Chief Akin Ricketts, has urged stakeholders in the maritime sector to form a synergy to fight crime in the Nigerian territorial waters.

Ricketts made the call in a statement on Wednesday following the recent meeting with heads of agencies in the maritime industry where the issue of insecurity in the waterways and other crucial matters topped discussions.

The NPA chair said the call for synergy among stakeholders was not only to fight insecurity but also to reduce the cost of doing business in the sector.

He said, “Globally, we are ranked amongst the first five in terms of insecurity in our navigable waters.

“Instead of working in silos with everybody protecting their trucks, it has become imperative for all our stakeholders to create a synergy.”

Ricketts said the recent meeting with heads of agencies in the maritime sector was imperative as regulatory agencies could no longer function effectively without coming up with a common strategy in unity of purpose.

He stated, “Comparatively, the maritime industry is still growing and there is a whole lot that can be done.”

Ricketts said there was a need for the development of shared visions and integration of systems to optimise service delivery and develop a seamless process to improve on the existing synergy.