ANLCA Lauds NPA MD, Mohammed Bello Koko

BY GBOGBOWA GBOWA

L-R: Mohammed Bello KoKo Managing Director/ CEO Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Emenike Nwokeoji , National President Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and Mr. Taiwo Mustapha Board Chairman ANLCA on Monday 10th June, 2024 when ANLCA Executives paid a working visit to the NPA Headquarters in Marina

The Managing Director Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-KoKo and his management has been commended by the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) for the uncommon initiatives in finally removing the decade long traffic gridlock that had challenged the free flow of traffic along the Apapa/Tincan Ports access roads.

The association said that in addition to the disruption of free traffic flow, the menace  has undermined ease of doing business and negatively impacted the port economy and lowered the standard of best practices.

National President of ANLCA, Mr. Emenike Nwokeji in company of the Board Chairman, Alhaji Taiwo Mustapha and other executives of the highly influential trade association made the commendation on Monday 10th June, 2024 when he paid a working visit to the NPA Headquarters in Marina.

Thanking them for the visit, Mohammed Bello-Koko assured that the Authority will continue to follow the path of probity in efficiently discharging its duties and obligations.

He said, “Breaking the jinx of the age long traffic gridlock that was causing huge revenue losses and reputational damage to our dear country Nigeria was a product of our relentless commitment to doing what is right by entering into open-minded collaborations with the Lagos State Government and relevant stakeholders”.

He particularly reiterated the Authority’s commitment towards  improving the ease of doing business and in deepening Nigeria’s balance of trade through promotion of exports in the spirit of the performance bond it signed with the federal government, recently.

Bello-KoKo said, “We are committed to fulfilling the priorities as enunciated in the Presidential/ Ministerial Performance Bond which we signed and to sustain the sanity on the Port access which has resulted in the unprecedented increase in export numbers.

“We have developed a Service Level Agreement (SLA) for cargo evacuation which we would be implementing with renewed vigour going forward to sustain the growth in exports necessary to achieve the national trade surplus required to grow the domestic economy”.

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in its foreign trade report for the first quarter of 2024 released on Sunday highlighted that Nigeria recorded a N6.5 trillion trade surplus between January and March of 2024.

The NBS report that while Nigeria’s exports amounted to N19.1 trillion, her total imports stood at N12.6 trillion, indicating a trade surplus of N6.5 trillion.

A trade surplus is an economic indicator of a positive trade balance in which the exports of a nation outweigh the country’s imports.