Ejiro Thomas.
Harboursandport.com: Lagos - The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, has disclosed that discussions with local and international partners to rehabilitate the collapsing Tin-can Island quay apron and other ports across the country is in its conclusive stage.
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| L-R: Representative of the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Director, MD's office, Mr Ayodele Durowaiye and Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Barr Emmanuel Jime discussing at the event. |
Speaking at the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) Breakfast meeting which held in Apapa, Lagos, recently, Bello-Koko, noted that rehabilitating the Tin-Can Island Port quay apron and other ports across the country is on the front burner of the Authority's agenda but the financial constraints is stalling the project.
The MD, who was represented by the General Manager, NPA Managing Director's Office, Mr Ayodele Durowaiye, added that the Authority has explored various funding options to drive the project as discussions with local and international partners in it's concluding stage.
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| R-L: Former Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Barr. Temisan Omatseye; President, Maritime Reporters’ Association of Nigeria (MARAN), Mr. Godfrey Bivbere; Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Hon. Emmanuel Jime; and the General Manager, NPA Managing Director’s office, Mr. Ayodele Durowaiye; during a breakfast meeting on the deplorable port infrastructure at Tin Can Island Port, organized by MARAN, in Lagos. |
He said: "NPA has explored various options to find a sustainable Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement that would work for us. It is very difficult to find government funding facilities these days. NPA is working assiduously to find funding options that would help us and indeed we have had discussions with strong organisations with funding and competence to help us drive the rehabilitation and renewal effort for port infrastructures across the country and particularly at Tin Can.
"We are at the conclusive stage of discussions with local and international partners with the requisite financial and technical competence to fund these infrastructural development.
"Government is supporting efforts of the Nigerian Ports to find funding partners that would address the infrastructural challenges that we are facing."
On his part, former Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Director General, Mr. Temisan Omatseye, blamed the state of the Port on overuse. He therefore called for the adoption of a multimodal means of transportation to ensure efficiency in cargo transportation.
"Tin Can has become where most of the cargoes come. Cargoes come into Apapa and Tin Can Island Port has a major impact not only to the Apapa environment but to the whole of Lagos State. The infrastructure in Lagos State is in a state of collapse and it is not at all the Tin Can Island Port because everybody wants to come to Lagos Port because everybody that goes five degree east is unsafe would get charged war risk premium. We need to begin to appreciate the value of the riverine transportation we have in Nigeria," he said.
In his remarks, the President, Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN), Mr. Godfrey Bivbere, acknowledged the need for the relevant agency to look into this critical infrastructural problem and speed up the process for its repairs.
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