The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman has said that the Authority will partner the Nigerian Guild of Editors with a view to having a stronger communication channels to convey the gains of the current reforms at the nation’s seaports in conformity with the Federal Government objectives of attracting Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), whilst making the nation the hub of maritime business in the sub-region.
She made this assertion while receiving a delegation of the Nigerian Guild of Editors led by its President, Mrs Funke Egbemode who paid her a courtesy visit in the Corporate Headquarters in Marina yesterday.
According to the MD; ‘We need to have strong Communication channels as we implement our reforms at the Nigerian Ports Authority. We must lay out to the public what we are doing so that you don’t spread wrong narratives to the public. We will continue to communicate with you so that you can have direct knowledge of our reforms administration’’.
Hadiza Bala Usman further assured the Editors of the agency’s support at all times and enjoined them to verify all issues concerning the NPA before publication.
Assuring the Guild that she would work towards attending its 2018 Conference, she called for a sustained relationship between the NPA and the editors.
On the issue of the Rehabilitation of Apapa Access Road, she told the Editors that NPA is deeply concerned about the deplorable situation of the road, adding that even though it is not the core responsibility of the NPA to construct roads, it has supported the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to the tune of N1.8 Billion, noting that it is willing to support further in order to surmount the challenge.
She called for the deployment of Intermodal transportation system as the only way out, even as she added that information sharing is a critical tool in the achievement of robust synergy in the industry.
Earlier in her address, the President of NGE; Mrs Funke Egbemode commended the Managing Director for efforts at transforming the ports and thanked her for granting them audience despite her tight schedules.
Furthermore, she pointed out that the Guild which comprises of about 600 members spread across the country’s 36 states consists of Editors in Print, Electronic and Online Medium.
Mrs Egbemode asserted that as the final gate keepers in the media industry, the Guild also keeps all the nation’s leaders on their toes, noting that the elite group, is ready to partner with the Authority towards the execution of their projects.
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