Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar has said that the concessioning of Nigerian ports in 2006 has put overall operational efficiency of the nation’s port industry on a steady increase. He said also that appreciable infrastructural development of ports facilities was recorded in most of the terminals run by the concessionaires during the period.
Minister of Transport, Senator Idris Umar has said that the concessioning of Nigerian ports in 2006 has put overall operational efficiency of the nation’s port industry on a steady increase. He said also that appreciable infrastructural development of ports facilities was recorded in most of the terminals run by the concessionaires during the period.
Speaking last week when he took his turn at the Ministerial Platform at the Radio House, Abuja, he noted that the Nigerian Ports Authority which emerged the Landlord/Technical Regulator of the ports after the concession programme, has equally recorded a lot of milestones since in its new capacity in the review period, saying sustenance of the momentum of the on-going reform of the port system will definitely make Nigerian ports the hub of maritime business in the West and Central Africa.
The Minister, who expressed his confidence in the ability of the current management of the NPA to deliver in the onerous task of transforming Nigerian ports for efficiency and growth, listed the dredging of the Lagos and Bonny Channels from about 8 .5meters draught to a current draught of 13. 5meters. The minister further said that NPA has removal of all the critical wrecks on the Channels by engaging the services of the Bonny and Lagos Channels Management Companies.
The two companies are joint venture companies, with NPA having 40 percent stake in them. The companies are according to the minister responsible the maintenance dredging of the channels.
Senator Idris also listed on-going developments in Greenfield Deepsea ports, especially the Lekki Deapsea port in Lagos and the Ibaka Deepsea port in Akwa Ibom State; as one of the gains of the on=going reforms of the port industry.
He said that just recently, the Nigerian Ports Authority began 24 hours operation at the Lagos ports, for the first time since the end of the Nigerian Civil War. The ports authority will soon implement the 24/7 port operation regime in all the ports in the country, he stated.
According to him, the Nigerian Customs Service and other relevant government agencies at the ports are now operating 24/7 service at the Lagos ports. He urged port users to avail themselves of this opportunity by coming out for business at night when they will not be hindered by the chaotic Lagos traffic.
Senator Idris also disclosed that the dredging campaign of government would soon be effected in all the 8 ports under the NPA, saying that apart from that, rehabilitation of port access roads has been completed at the Tin Can Island port and Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, while contract for the all important 1.6 kilometer Apapa port common users road has been awarded at the cost of N3 billion. He disclosed that rehabilitation of all ports access roads would soon be completed; it will enhance easy exiting of cargo out of the port. He disclosed that the plan of government is to reduce to the barest minimum port business in the inside the port, preferring rather that the activities are carried mostly at the ICDs and bonded terminal outside the ports. “Our ports should be transit points like is the practice across the port, he reiterated.
The minister also said that the government is working hard to ensure that all the ports in the country are provided with rail services, so that when the national transport programme becomes fully operational.
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