Senate Committee On Marine Transport Expresses Doubt Over Timely Completion Of NPA Office Project

The Senate Committee on Marine Transport has expressed doubts over the expected date of completion of the ongoing rehabilitation of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) headquarters in Marina, Lagos.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Zynab Kure who expressed the fears of the lawmakers during an oversight visit to the NPA headquarters on Monday pointed out that the level of work going on at the facility is slow.

The Senate Committee on Marine Transport has expressed doubts over the expected date of completion of the ongoing rehabilitation of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) headquarters in Marina, Lagos.

According to her, contrary to the August 2014 delivery date given by the contractor of the project, Senator Kure said that the date is obviously no longer feasible.

The project contractor had told the Senators that reason the project has been delayed was because the building ought to have been vacated by the NPA for the project to have been completed on time.

But the Senators however concurred that it would have cost the agency huge amount of money to rent office spaces pending the completion.

"With what we have seen, we are happy that at least work is going on, it is not an abandoned project, we asked when it will be completed and we were told August, but some of my colleagues who are experts in this department have said that August is not feasible"

"We are anxious to see a befitting headquarters of the NPA and the most important thing is for the project to be completed" she said.

Also fielding questions from journalists, the Managing Director of the NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi said that about N2.9billion has so far been expended on the project.

Abdullahi gave assurances that the level of work on the building is commensurate with the amount so far spent, because according to him, construction has been completed up to 58% with the N2.9billion so far released to the contractors.