PSTT set to clear shanties, checkpoints in Tincan port 

In its continued efforts to free the corridors linking the seaports, the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) on Friday stated its resolve to clear the shanties and checkpoints where levies and tolls are collected along Tincan Island Port

The Task Team said would form part of its second phase of ‘Operation Free the Port Corridor’.’

Speaking on the development, the Coordinator General of the Team, Mr. Moses Fadipe added that plans are afoot to engage the Lagos State Commissioner of Finance on the best way of Wharf Landing Fees collection.

The move according to him, is aimed at ensuring smooth flow of traffic and cargo movement along the port corridors.

Coordinator General of PSTT, Mr. Moses Fadipe in a media chat, maintained that the team had at several occasions arrested officials of the state agency collecting levies along the road.

Fadipe said PSTT was not opposed to the levy collection but noted that digitalization of the collection would facilitate Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) as stipulated by the federal government through the office of the Vice President.

Lamenting the archaic mode of collection of the fee, Fadipe promised to engage the state government through the office of the Commissioner of Finance.

“We are going to meet with the Commissioner of Finance in Lagos State on this matter in the next few weeks, we are already engaging them, but we are going tmeet with them formally on this issue of Wharf Landing Fees collection.

“And in that meeting a lot of suggestions will come out on the best way towards collecting the fees because this is an era of digitalization and I know that when it come to revenue collection in Nigeria, Lagos State was the first state that stated revenue collection digitally in Nigeria. So of they can succeed in that area then collection of Wharf Landing Fees won’t be an issue for them”.

“And that is why we want to meet with them in a week or two from now to see how we can harmonise things.”

Recounting his experience with the operatives of the  Wharf Landing Fees Authority, were arrested along the Apapa Port corridor over alleged impediment to traffic, he said  some state and non state actors were also cleared out of the corridor and after the arrest, they were handed over to operatives of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

He further suggested that the Authority to emulate the way blue chips companies collect revenue and how best to engage freight forwarding and trucker associations.

Chairman, Wharf Landing Fees Authority, Mr. Gboyega Salvador Adebayo recently, frowned at the PSTT harassment on officials of the Authority, noting that the task team was frustrating revenue collection of the government.

Adebayo lamented that officials of the Authority are duly engaged by the government adding that the establishment of Wharf Landing Fees was duly establishment by federal and state laws.

He reiterated that efforts are ongoing to harmonise the fee collection digitally, pointing out that the state government was working round the clock to perfect the digitalisation process in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority.