·We Are Still In Search Of A Preferred Bidder —-NPA
Following the recent statement by the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) that it is in search of private investors who will run the Truck Transit Park (TTP) in form of a Public Private Partnership (PPP), some truck owners have accused the organization of being economical with the truth.
Shipping Position Daily last week reported that the General Manager Corporate and Strategic Communication of NPA, Mr Jatto Adams said the organization was in search of private investors who will handle the park owing to the failure of the park to address the illegal parking of trucks on roads and bridges in the approaches to Lagos ports.
Reacting to the report, the Vice President, National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) Dry Cargo section, Alhaji Abdullahi Inuwa in a chat with our correspondent criticized the NPA for allegedly being economical with the truth.
The NARTO chieftain further chided NPA for failing to hand over the transit park to the truckers’ association, he said in other neighbouring countries truck transit parks are run by truckers’ association.
“So if they are saying they are looking for private partner as at now I think they are not trying to solve the problem, I believe if they give truckers the opportunity, they can come together and make good use of that place” he said.
On his part, the Chairman Association of Maritime Trucks Owners (AMATO) Chief Remi Ogungbemi opined that although NPA, as the technical regulator of the port has the final decision on who runs the park, he urged it to allow truck owners who know the nitty gritty of the job to manage the truck transit park.
“NPA are the technical regulators of the port, they know how to do it better than any of us, they have the final say, and it is their decision to decide who runs the transits parks, but I think it is better to allow the truckers who have been in the trucking business; like some of us who know the nitty gritty of trucking arrangement to handle it.
“I will only advise that, it should not be politicized, so the first step for us to have a good and seamless operation in the terminal is to allow people that know about the movement of trucks to be given the opportunity to manage the transit park”, he advised.
On his part, the Vice President of Corporate Fleet Owners Association, Mr Leye Thompson informed our correspondent that few days after our report, a preferred bidder was selected to run the Ijora Lillypond transit park and another bidder was also given the Tin Can transit park.
Referring to the choice of proffered bidders for the parks, he said: “As at that time, they were still looking for one, but as at now they have got one; although they have not started but it has been allocated to private operator; both the one at Tin Can and Apapa.
“However, before the commencement of the private operator, Lillypond has started since Monday last week in a very good way, the initial 36 approved parks have been shared into three groups”, he said.
But, in a swift reaction, the General Manager Corporate and Strategic Communication at the NPA, Adams Jatto insisted that there is no preferred bidders for the parks yet and no selection has been made to hand over the truck parks to a private investor, he insisted that the NPA is still in search of a preferred bidder for the truck parks.
“We have criteria for which to qualify somebody for that through procurement process, so everybody have to go through normal procurement process, whoever is able to meet the procurement criteria that is set out by the Bureau of Public Procurement will be given the park, We are still searching for investors on the basis of PPP”, he insisted.
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