By Adeyemi Adeleye
Mr Bola Babarinde, a former Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), South African Chapter, has advised President Bola Tinubu to reform the nation’s ports to enhance ease of doing business and aid economic growth.
Babarinde in a statement on Thursday in Lagos, said that the ease of doing business was a catalyst for economic growth.
“It is important to address a small but important area that can help the new administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take off with great speed and leap forward in economic development.
“It is about Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria with Ports reform declared as a state of emergency.
“The frustration that the business community go through in the hands of our port officials is terrible and condemnable which can be classified as economic sabotage by the individuals charged and trusted to man those departments and entry point into our economy.
“Yes, it’s true that government policies empower this corruption to flourish because officials take advantage of the system, loopholes in such policies.
“It is the reason why it is time to move away from analogue system and unnecessary bureaucratic bottleneck at our ports to a modern automated, efficient and profitable system,” he said.
Babarinde lamented that there were about 20 documents required to complete clearing of goods in Nigeria’s ports.
While describing each section level of approval as unnecessary, the APC chieftain said that the layers of approval had continued to perpetuate the peculiar problems of extortion and delays at the ports.
He said that these series of documents and approvals had negative consequences on the economy with its adverse effects on trade and commerce.
“Why can’t Nigeria borrow a leaf from a country close to us, Ghana which has streamlined its process with experience of clearing goods with just two documents (Proforma invoice and Bill of Landing).
“The unnecessary hardships and hurdles posed to business at ports should be addressed urgently and immediately for recalibration of the economy.
“Digitalisation of the ports for clearing and shipment of goods will ease doing business, improve trade and commerce, increase productivity and boost revenue for Nigeria.
“It will also eradicate the few unscrupulous individuals that are benefitting from the poor management of our ports as to the detriment of the economic development of Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, Nigerians in the diaspora with experience in advanced economies across the world are ready and willing to contribute their quota, through technical expertise and advice for the success of the Tinubu’s administration.
Babarinde noted that the military incursion that ousted Nigeria’s first set of political leaders disrupted the nation’s journey to socioeconomic advancement and development.
He said that the military regimes imported and foisted American styled of democracy on Nigeria, which he said was expensive and sophisticated with its challenging complexities for nation’s level of human development.
“Now, after years of our so called democracy which Americans believe is the best for the world, we now enjoy freedoms promised by the system but it is a freedom without equity and justice.
“The equity and justice here is equal level playing ground for all citizens to have access to basic things of life, eradication of poverty and entrenchment of good governance with sincere leadership by those in government,” he said. (NAN)
