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Tag: Ms Hadiza Bala Usman

  • ‘Warri Port dredging ‘ll be completed soon’

    THE dredging of the Warri Port in Delta State, to seven metres draught, will be completed soon, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, has said.

    The low draught of the port, importers and clearing agents said, has made the Warri and Calabar ports unattractive for business.

    Ms Bala Usman assured importers, exporters, operators and clearing agents that after the dredging of the port channel business would pick up. Meanwhile, she advised shipping companies on the axis to deploy flat bottom vessels (FBVs) to solve draught challenge.

    She said the quick completion of the dredging would enhance shipping services in the Delta area and open it up for business.

    “The dredging of the Warri Port to seven metres will be completed within the next two month, and this will go a long way in reducing the congestion we are having in Lagos Port and also in providing access for cargoes, particularly petroleum products coming into the country through the Delta port,” Mrs Usman said.

    On the Calabar Port, she said estimation for the dredging of the channel has been put at N50 billion but has yet to be finalised. She, however, said dredging of the channel to Calabar Port would be executed with NPA’s internally-generated revenue.

  • NPA MD to workers: better days ahead

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman has assured  workers of better condition of service.

    Addressing the workers in Lagos, she advised them to be dedicated in the discharge of their duty.

    Over 550 workers from across the country were honoured during the ceremony.

    About 530 recipients of them got the company’s long service award, seven, merit awards and 30 fire  men for their gallantry in putting out a fire in Port Harcourt port.

    She thanked the awardees and other workers  for their contributions to the authority’s growth.

    “In spite of the outlook of the economy at the beginning of this year,  the management of the authority set out certain goals and objectives for itself and we are grateful that we have attained most of the goals that we set for ourselves.

    “Right from the outset, management was conscious of the fact that none of these objectives would be attainable without the understanding and cooperation of the workforce. This is the main reason  we have maintained an open door policy, which has made it possible for all of us to rub minds and agree on the best way to achieve the very important task of repositioning port operations in Nigeria or better efficiency.

    “On behalf of the management, I want to thank you, our colleagues for keeping faith with us. While we are not at the place where we hope to be, we are certainly not where we started from. I take the rare opportunity to commend you for your commitment to serve and all the sacrifices that you all have to make.

    “Someone said the reward for hard work is more work; at the NPA, we know that this not the exact situation. There is, of course, always more work for us because we want to improve on our last performance, never resting on our oars, but can also assure you that welfare will continue to be of utmost priority to us,” she said.

    In his address, its Executive Director Finance and Administration, Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, urged the workers to be more dedicated to their duty as the management has resolved to priotise staff welfare, next year.

    One of the awardees and the Port Manager Calabar Port, Mrs Funmilayo Olotu, who spoke on behalf of  others, expressed gratitude to the management for promoting staff welfare and thanked Ms Usman for operating an open door policy since her assumption of duties.

     

  • NPA holds ports conference in Lagos

    NPA holds ports conference in Lagos

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is presently hosting the 2017 Annual Conference of Network of Professional Women in Ports and Maritime Sector (PMAWCA) affiliate at the Oriental Hotel, Lagos.

    The NPA Managing Director, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, will give the welcome address, while the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Idiyat Adebule, will deliver a goodwill message.

    Over 200 Delegates from West African countries are attending the conference.

  • Nigeria, U.S trade volume hits $5.3b

    Nigeria, U.S trade volume hits $5.3b

    Nigeria’s trade volume with the United States (U.S.) reached $5.3billion in 2015, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said yesterday.

    Speaking at a trade forum organised by the NPA to welcome the Miami-Dade County, Florida Business Development Mission to Lagos, its Managing Director, Ms Hadiza Bala Usman said Nigeria’s trading volume with America stands at $5.3billion.

    Represented by the Executive Director, Engineering and Technical Services, Prof Sanni Abubakar, she said goods exported from Nigeria to the U.S stood at $1.9 billion while the imports from the same country stood at $3.4billion.

    She said U.S goods trade surplus with Nigeria was $1.5billion.

    Exports to Nigeria from the U.S include wheat, vehicles, machinery, kerosine, lubricants, jet fuel, civilian aircraft and plastics.

    The items the U.S imported from Nigeria include crude oil, cocoa, cashew nut and animal feeds.

    She said the Federal Government is determined to develop the nation’s sea ports to handle increased volumes of exports and imports that will aid its economic development programmes.

    According to her, the trade mission is to engage and foster bilateral trade, commercial ties, maritime services and technical exchanges between the port of Miami, the NPA and other African ports.

    The forum, she said, was organised to expand the bilateral relationship between the two countries and establish beneficial trade framework.

    NPA, she said, is collaborating with the port of Miami to reposition the  sea ports to play a key role in the nation’s economy and urged the visiting officials to tap the abundant investment opportunities in Nigeria.

    Meanwhile, the Senate has advised investors to take advantage of viability in the ports to invest in the sector.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Ahmed Sanni  Yerima said the Senate has passed the Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority (NPHA) Bill and in the verge of enacting the National Transport Commission (NTC) as an independent multimodal transport sector regulator.

    Represented by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Yerima stated that for a more efficient maritime sector and maintenance of global shipping standards, the National Assembly has consistently raised the  bar with good laws.

    “The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Act was enacted for the regulation of international shipping within our maritime domain recently.

    “The Senate moved boldly to further re-engineer our maritime sector by passing the NPHA Bill to promote responsible and globally competitive shipping operations in Nigeria. We are also on the verge of enacting an Act to establish the game changing NTC as an independent multimodal transport sector regulator.

  • BPE pledges support for port authority

    The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Alex A. Okoh, on Thursday expressed the Bureau’s support for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in its effort to ensure efficient service delivery in Nigerian ports.

    According to a statement issued by the head public communications BPE Chuckwuma Nwokoh, he made this known when he received the Managing Director of the NPA, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja. 

    Okoh stated that the Bureau would constantly liaise with the NPA to ensure that the concessionaires keep to the terms of the agreements  they signed with the government and also to ensure that the agreements that are due for review are done expeditiously.

    The BPE boss said that this has become necessary in order to enhance efficiency and service delivery at Nigerian ports. 

     The Chief Executives reviewed the maritime industry and agreed on the framework for evaluation of the ports concession agreements. They also discussed the infrastructural challenges at the ports and the ways to address them.

    Both expressed optimism that the Reform Bills, especially the Ports and Harbour Bill and National Transport Commission Bill which are currently receiving attention at the National Assembly, would optimize operations at the ports. The two bills when enacted would strengthen the technical and economic regulatory framework in the maritime industry. 

    The NPA boss in her remark said that,synergy between both agencies would ensure an all encompassing review process of the ports concession agreements. While stressing the strategic position of the maritime sector in the nation’s economy and the enormous prospects it presents for economic growth, she maintained that inter-agency collaboration was one sure way to harness the potentials. 

    According to the report, the House of Representatives has last month passed the National Transport Commission Bill. In the words of the Bill, its main objective is “to provide efficient economic regulatory framework for the transport sector, mechanism for monitoring compliance of government agencies, transport service providers and users in the regulated transport industry with relevant legislation and to advise government on matters relating to economic regulation of the regulated transport industry”.

  • BPE pledges support for NPA

    BPE pledges support for NPA

    The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr Alex A. Okoh, Thursday expressed the Bureau’s support for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in its effort to ensure efficient service delivery in Nigerian ports.

    According to a statement issued by the head public communications BPE Chuckwuma Nwokoh, he made this known when he received the Managing Director of the NPA, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja.

    Okoh stated that the Bureau would constantly liaise with the NPA to ensure that the concessionaires keep to the terms of the agreements they signed with the government and also to ensure that the agreements that are due for review are done expeditiously.

    The BPE boss said that this has become necessary in order to enhance efficiency and service delivery at Nigerian ports.

    The Chief Executives reviewed the maritime industry and agreed on the framework for evaluation of the ports concession agreements. They also discussed the infrastructural challenges at the ports and the ways to address them.

    Both expressed optimism that the Reform Bills, especially the Ports and Harbour Bill and National Transport Commission Bill which are currently receiving attention at the National Assembly, would optimize operations at the ports. The two bills when enacted would strengthen the technical and economic regulatory framework in the maritime industry.

    The NPA boss in her remark said that, synergy between both agencies would ensure an all- encompassing review process of the ports concession agreements. While stressing the strategic position of the maritime sector in the nation’s economy and the enormous prospects it presents for economic growth, she maintained that inter-agency collaboration was one sure way to harness the potentials.

    According to the report, the House of Representatives has last month passed the National Transport Commission Bill. In the words of the Bill, its main objective is “to provide efficient economic regulatory framework for the transport sector, mechanism for monitoring compliance of government agencies, transport service providers and users in the regulated transport industry with relevant legislation and to advise government on matters relating to economic regulation of the regulated transport industry”.

     

  • Repositioning Warri port

    Repositioning Warri port

    The visit of the Chairman, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Emmanuel Olajide Adesoye, and Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman to the Warri Port, has revealed how the past management of the authority shirked its core responsibilities, reports Maritime Correspondent OLUWAKEMI DAUDA

    Members of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Board were at the Warri Port last week on assessment with a view to transforming it into a world-class entity.

    They were shocked at the level of decay of the once-vibrant port.

    Board Chairman Mr Emmanuel Olajide Adesoye and NPA Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman said they were not happy with the poor state of the port and promised to make it contrubute meaningfully to national economy.

    The Warri port serves Edo, Delta, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), among others.

    Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum jointly addressed by Adesoye and Usman, the operators told them that the past management of the authority failed to provide some essential tools to make the port viable.

    The duo allayed the fear of the operators that the port would be abandoned and assured them of their determination to boost its operations.

    A senior official of one of the terminals at the port,  who craved anonymity, said the authority has a lot of job to do in terms of port development and revenue generation.

    He said NPA could generate over N300 billion yearly,  from the sea ports, if the challenges facing the ports were addressed.

    He accused the past management of the authority of “ineptitude, eye service, poor maintenance culture”, urging the new team to address the problems.

    Apart from the Lagos ports, he alleged that ports in other states were working below capacity because of neglect, urging the NPA to focus on Calabar, Warri and others because of their importance to the nation.

    NPA, investigation revealed, generated over $607 million and N8.9 billion from Warri pilotage district between 2007 and last August, and collected over $123 million and N5.5 billion asdues within the period.

    Some of the challenges identified by the operators that need immediate attention include:

     

    Escravos breakwater

     

    The breakwater at Escravos  has been submerged and needs attention.

    “There are no more buffers between the ocean and the river channel. Sediments have silted the entrance of the port, thereby restricting the movement of vessels to a maximum draft of five-metre datum as against seven-metre datum at highest tide,” the operator said.

    More than 15 vessels have gone underground at the Escravos entrance from June to date because NPA has no equipment to carry out its core fuctions at ports.

     

    Buoys

     

    Findings also revealed that the buoys that were supposed to be navigable aids to ships are absent at the channel from the fairway buoy to the ports of Warri, Sapele and Koko and this has led to the frequent grounding of vessels along the channel.

    Operators said there was the need for the reinstallation of the missing buoys by the NPA to reposition the port and generate more revenue to the government.

     

    Pilot Cutters

     

    There is no functional pilot cutters at the Warri Sapele Pilot District.   Agents and other operators are worried over the situation.

    Investigation also revealed that since 2006, shipping firms at the port have been paying for crafts to convey NPA’s river and harbour pilots to and fro Escravos and Bennett Island.  Operators have been demanding a refund because the charge amounted to double payment as  the NPA had already billed them for the service.

    Comrade Musa Doma said NPA had no means of conveying its pilots from their point of primary assignment, urging the new management to address the issue.

     

    Tug boats

     

    NPA has no working tug boat at the port, a problem which has led to serious exploitation by some individuals.

    The tug boats, operators said, are essential in the berthing and un-berthing of vessels at the port.  It is an IMO mandatory requirement.

    Sources also said NPA has no vehicle to convey its pilots at the port by road to outer ports of Sapele, Oghara and Koko, despite the billions of naira generated from the ports yearly.

     

    Mooring and unmooring

     

    Mooring and unmooring are the statutory responsibility of the NPA. But operators alleged that its past management ceded it to the host communities, adding that the services were being paid for by shipping agents.

     

    Disruption of pilotage

    services

     

    Findings revealed that river pilot contractors frequently disrupt pilotage services at the ports, based on non- payment of their wages for services rendered to NPA. Their service is essential to quick turnaround time of vessels. The disruption, it was learnt, leads to payment of demurrage.

    These issues, the FMoT official said, are germane to the revitalisation of the ports. “There is also need for the dredging and refurbishment of the breakwater in Delta port to attract bigger vessels and generate more revenue to the government. The port is, however, lying fallow and underutilised based on the failure of the past management of NPA.,” he said