Nigerian Ports Authority,[NPS] signs MoU WITH BUDGIT Information Technology Network for development. PHOTOS

SPEECH BY HADIZA BALA USMAN ON PUBLIC SIGNING OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN NIGERIA PORTS AUTHORITY AND BUDGIT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY NETWORK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN OPEN BUDGET SYSTEM PLATFORM AND IMPLEMENTATION OF A PUBLIC DATA DISSEMINATION PROGRAMME
Good Afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen.
I welcome you all to this auspicious ceremony of the signing of a Memorandum Of Understanding between the Nigerian Ports Authority and BUDGiT Information Technology. The significance of the role of the Nigerian Ports Authority in the efficient management of all 24 Port Terminals for the development and economic good of Nigeria cannot be overemphasized.
For a fact, as at close of 2014, Nigeria, in terms of Ports and Maritime activities ranks fourth in the industry in Africa by size with more than a million annual 20-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs). Over the last five years, our Ports have seen a Gross Tonnage of 144.2 million. In spite of the economic recession, an annual growth rate of about 2% is expected of us through the next five years. Our direct contribution to GDP presently stands at 0.01%. Our Revenue at the Ports have seen growth from =N=57 billion in 2005 to =N=184 billion in 2015. The NPA as an organization is a critical organ in the economic artery of the nation.
Yet, the NPA can deliver more for Nigeria. The NPA can create more wealth for Nigerians. The NPA is committed to making operations at Nigerian ports seamless, efficient and world class. We are moving rapidly towards a 24 Hours Port Operations and 72 Hours Cargo Clearance. We are automating payments. We are committed to increased investment in Port Marine Infrastructures and improving traffic on Port access roads. In the same vein, we are in advanced collaboration on several Greenfield Port developments. The industrial outlook and prospect for maritime transportation and logistics in Nigeria is both ambitious and positive.
Since the ascension of the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Government has set out to change how our governance systems run and instill a new culture of integrity, transparency and accountability in Public administration. Our institutions have been poorly managed and we are all guilty. Today, we are out to walk our talk and depart from the morally flexible and opaque practices of the past Administrations by moving towards information democratization, budgeting transparency and open governance.
Let me talk briefly about BudgiT. Since it started operations in 2011, it has achieved revolutionary feats in the space of socio-technological advocacy towards opening up of Public Budgets for citizens’ comprehension and information, raising the bar on accountability and transparency in Government and facilitating simplification of data for public good.
While serving in the Government House in Kaduna, we embraced the noble technological concepts of BudgiT many months ago. And I must say that we were better off as an Administration for it.
What we purposed to achieve today is a Partnership that will not only aid public expenditure transparency but will also develop an Open Budget System Platform and Implement a Public Data Dissemination program. By these, we will;
i- Open Our Budgets to the Public,
ii- Instill a framework for transparent Budget provisions of the Nigerian Ports Authority,
iii- Encourage participatory governance by way of feedbacks and stakeholders’ inputs and,
iiii- Create an enabling and transparent environment to encourage foreign investment
This collaboration will ensure key researches, industry policies and innovations are effectively communicated. It will also ensure that critical data are generated and made accessible for Policy makers, private sector actors, Stakeholders and the public. As we progress, we will be doing more as necessary in the direction of transparency, accountability and proactive disclosure of public data and information.
I want to thank you all.
Via Bashir Ibrahim Dabo