In what appeared like a deliberate attempt to stop abuse of due process in the award of contracts in all its port locations and departments, the management of Nigerian Ports Authourity (NPA) has banned its departmental heads from award of contract without authorisation from the managing director’s office.
Although no reason was given by the management for the directive, Shipping Position Weekly sources disclosed that fresh guidelines governing award of contract have been put in place
In a circular issued by the authority recently, a copy of which was sighted by our correspondent in Port Harcourt, the NPA management warned that “no head of department in any port or location should issue any paper, note, or letter having semblance, legitimacy and or creating the slightest impression of a contract or any agreement binding on the authority without the appropriate necessary approval being first obtained in writing”.
It described the earlier practice by the heads of departments of awarding contracts in the course of carrying out their official duties as “arbitrary, illegal and unauthorized”.
It was also not clear as at weekend if the new directive will affect port managers, but our source hinted that the managing director is desirous of meeting the revenue target of N117Billion which it has set for itself for 2009.
“Unnecessary and unapproved expenditures either at the ports, zones and headquarters levels will deplete our revenue earnings”, a senior employee of the agency told our correspondent last week
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