The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NPA

  • The NPA/Intels contract palaver

    SIR: It is no news any more that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has authorized the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to forthwith commence the termination process of the Pilotage Monitoring and Supervision Agreement between NPA and Integrated Logistics Services Nigeria Limited (INTELS) on the ground that the said agreement was void ab initio.

    The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) vide a letter dated September 27, directed the Managing Director of NPA to commence the process. There are several phases or angles to the issue at hand, but since the fulcrum of it lies with the constitutionality or otherwise, we shall look at it from that basis first.

    Going by what is contained in the letter to the Managing Director of NPA, the AGF is only asking NPA to unilaterally determine its relationship with INTELS. It suffices to say that the parties’ mutual agreement is to be terminated.

    Without really applying any sophisticated rule of interpretation it is only commonsensical that the said Sections 80 and 162 of the Constitution that the AGF is relying on simply require that all revenues generated by or on behalf of the federal government be deposited into the Federation Account, an account which is by no means a special one.

    What is more; by S.162 (10) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), it is clear that revenue means “any income or returns accruing to or derived by the government of the federation from any source”.

    And it is not unclear that government makes or earns its revenues from either direct investment or through statutory functions of its agencies, one of which is NPA. NPA being a principal agency of the government generates revenues when a statutory function is efficiently and sufficiently carried out. That is to say when the NPA does not work efficiently it does not earn revenue efficiently for the government too. This is a follow up to S.7 (a) in the NPA Act, which provides that the functions of the NPA shall be to:

    “Provide and operate in the ports such facilities as appear to its best calculated to serve the interest of Nigeria”.

    Another look at S.7 (d) of the NPA Act shows that the NPA is to provide for the approaches to all ports and the territorial waters of Nigeria, such pilotage services and aids including clearing, deepening and improving of all waterways. It therefore means that the NPA has the sole power to provide pilotage services. Choosing to contract such pilotage service(s) here to INTELS is not outside its functions.

    A combined effect of Sections 8 (1)(L) and 9 of the same NPA Act empowers the authority to enter into agreement with any person for the provision or operation of the ports facilities and other functions and power other than the power to make regulations, which is exclusively reserved for the authority.

    Going by the above, it is an emphatic Yes to say that the NPA has been acting under its statutory powers in its agreement with INTELS.

    Reports have it that INTELS as an independent contractor has had a 28% monetary commission for its services rendered. What this means is that the NPA on behalf of the government earns 72% as its revenue after settling independent service provider(s). With utmost respect that 72% money is the final revenue earned by the authority for the government which is to go into the Treasury Single Account (TSA) that the AGF is seemingly canvassing for. At this juncture what makes up revenue for the federal government in this quest as provided for in Sections 80(1) and 162 (1) and (10) respectively is the 72% accruing to NPA and not the 28% accruing to the independent service provider like INTELS.

    But supposing it is true that the contract agreement is unconstitutional, is it within the place of the AGF to instigate a party to unilaterally terminate the said contract other than an originating motion for interpretation? The answer is capital NO.

    What about the principle of pacta sunt servanda governing contracts? It is sad how the AGF was curious without looking at the facts. The issue at hand involves rights and obligations. It is further sad how he was blind to the fact that the said agreement has an arbitration clause that must first be explored.

    Latest reports now have it that INTELS has rendered “apologies” to the government. This is a beautiful public relations approach in sustaining the almost threatened sector. But notwithstanding the apologies from INTELS and without holding brief for the company, this piece is only intended to x-ray the ingredients that make up the contractual relationship between the parties and more importantly, to serve as guide to the AGF against other curious actions that will only end up misleading the citizenry.

     

    • Azibola Omekwe

    Abuja.

  • Group hails INTELS over move to resolve dispute with NPA

    THE Nigerian Importers Integrity Association (NIIA) has hailed the Chairman of INTELS Nigeria Limited, Mr. Gabriele Volpi, for intervening in the dispute between his company and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) over remittances into the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

    NPA had insisted that all funds collected on its pilotage agency agreement be remitted into the account. But INTELS had argued that such directive was in violation of the terms of its contract.

    The stalemate led NPA to terminate the 10-year pilotage agreement contract with INTELS.

    The cancellation of the contract has drawn reactions from different segments of the society.

    However, the INTELS Chairman, who had been out of the country for a while, flew in last week and intervened in the face-off.

    Volpi, who described INTELS as a committed development partner to Nigeria, said he would do everything possible to ensure amicable resolution of the crisis.

    Volpi said: “We intend to comply with the directive of government and transfer all the revenue to the TSA because we are a law-abiding company.”

    He allayed fears that the company would pull out its investment in the Badagry deep seaport project.

    “We are committed to cooperating with the government and NPA in the development of Nigeria’s maritime sector and this includes the Badagry deep seaport,” he said.

    Reacting to the development, NIIA President, Godwin Onyekachi, lauded Volpi for the peace move.

    He said Volpi’s intervention “is a mark of good leadership”.

    “It will save a lot of jobs and restore investor confidence in Nigeria. Disputes are bound to arise in commercial transactions of this nature and it is the responsibility of concerned parties to shift grounds so as to arrive at an amicable resolution,” he said.

    Speaking separately, a development Economist, Dr. Austin Nweze and leading financial analyst, Dr. Ken Igboanugo said the lingering NPA-INTELS face-off was a bad signal to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

    According to Nweze, “The government decision will send wrong signal to foreign investors, who want to invest or those who would have wanted to do more than they have done because they know government can wake up one day to terminate the contract without recourse to the law and agreement of the contract.

    “Government is gradually destroying the economy with every of its action. International community take note of all contractual action and the irony is that we travel abroad asking investors to come and invest but what will they invest for when simple agreement cannot be adhered to.”

    Igboanugo said NPA should take necessary steps to resolve the dispute amicably to encourage investment in the country.

  • NPA, SON recommit to collaborative efforts

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have reaffirmed their collaboration to prevent an influx of substandard products into the country.

    SON’s Director General, Osita Aboloma, and Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman stated this yesterday during a meeting.

    Usman, said the federal government was right to encourage synergy among its agencies via the Executive Order on Ease of Doing Business.

    The order, according to her, does not provide excuses for anyone to flood Nigeria with substandard and unwholesome products.

    She stated that the NPA is resolved to provide necessary support for all relevant agencies to effectively discharge their mandates at the Ports.

    Usman urged SON, other agencies and stakeholders to take optimal advantage of the reforms being carried out at the Ports for greater efficiency and effectiveness.

    Aboloma expressed SON’s desire to promote synergy in tackling the menace of substandard products influx into Nigeria.

    He said the nation runs great risk from the influx of substandard and life-endangering products like steel reinforcement bars, electric cables, lighting bulbs, food and drugs among others.

    Aboloma stated less energy and resources would be required to apprehend substandard products at the points of entry than what is being channeled towards surveillance and seizures in warehouses and sales outlets nationwide.

  • NPA to increase activities at Delta ports

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA) Ms Hadiza Bala Usman has reiterated the commitment of the agency to harnessing the potential and improve the patronage of Delta Ports to boost government revenue.

    Addressing over 300 stakeholders in Warri yesterday, Ms Usman assured the stakeholders and the operators that the agency will do everything possible to stimulate economic activities in the area.

    NPA, she said, has awarded contracts for the repair of a Tug Boat-MT. OVIA and a Pilot Cutter -PC. KIRI to facilitate trade and boost efficiency at ports.

    She told reporters that the meeting was part of the efforts of NPA to reposition the port for rapid economic activities in order to accommodate the expected increase in operational activities that will result from the dredging of Escravos Channel, channel marking and wreck removal among others.

  • NPA gives INTELS three months to quit ports

    NPA gives INTELS three months to quit ports

    THE Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has given the management of oil and gas logistics firm, Intels Nigeria Limited (INTELS), three months to round up and hand over the pilotage services to the authority.

    This, it was learnt, was contained in a letter sent by the NPA to the company last week.

    Addressing reporters in Lagos yesterday, NPA Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman said the termination of the Pilotage Agency Agreement (PAA) and the handing over became imperative because the company has allegedly refused to comply with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) of the Federal Government.

    NPA, she said, had in the last 14 months persuaded INTELS to comply with the extant law, but the company, she said, allegedly rebuked entireties made to it.

    The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN) had written to Ms Usman on September 27, directing her to terminate the boats pilotage monitoring and supervision agreement the NPA had with INTELS. The AGF said the contract violates the Constitution of the Federal Republic.

    The NPA managing director, apart from saying the agreement with INTELS violates section Sections 80 (1) of the constitution, added that 28 per cent commission the company receives for the monitoring and supervision of pilotage services it handles on behalf of the agency on the nation’s territorial waters was costly.

    But INTELS said the termination of the agreement was “clearly preposterous and the consequences highly injurious” to the interests of the country.

    A letter signed by its director, Mr. Silvano Bellinato, said the position of NPA on the agreement may force INTELS to reconsider its multibillion dollar investment at the Badagry deep seaport in Lagos.He added that the investment has the potential of creating thousands of direct and indirect jobs for Nigerians.

    INTELS gave NPA seven days from last Wednesday, to reconsider the residual critical areas of their agreement and to agree, to the possible extent, on a common solution, failing which it shall head to arbitration.

    The company alleged that the NPA is indebted to it to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

    But the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) yesterday denied shutting INTELS office in Onne, Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State over tax evasion.

    In a statement, FIRS said: “What we did was that our team pasted a non-compliance sticker on the company’s premises.

    “Such stickers are always pasted on the premises of companies that have not been complying with the company’s tax obligations:  (Value Added  Tax  Act  Cap VI, and Companies Income Tax, CIT Cap C21, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2014, & Other Tax Laws.

    “The non-compliance stickers are routine. We did not seal nor close the company. INTELS is free to carry out IRS operations. It is not a distrain sticker.”

    INTELS Nigeria Limited was established 25 years ago with the vision to develop an integrated logistics solution, offering a complete package of facilities and services to the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.

     

     

  • NPA’s pilotage contract with INTELS stands terminated

    NPA’s pilotage contract with INTELS stands terminated

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) boats pilotage monitoring and supervision contract with INTELS Nigeria Limited remains terminated, the authority’s Chief Executive, Hadiza Usman, has said.

    The NPA boss told newsmen on Monday in Lagos that the contract was terminated on the advice of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minster of Justice, Malam Abubakar Malami.

    According to her, the legal advice was contained in an AGF’s letter dated Sept. 27, 2017, which was a response to NPA’s May 31, 2017 letter in which it sought clarity on the matter.

    Usman said that she had raised letters and held several meetings with INTELS management to comply with the Federal Government’s directive on the Treasury Single Account (TSA) since she assumed office 15 months ago.

    “They (INTELS) maintained their stand not to make payment to NPA. They want to deduct 28 per cent commission and other costs.

    “NPA says a TSA account has been opened and that at the end of the month, there will be reconciliation of accounts but INTELS refused.
    “Will I spend 15 months talking to a company to comply with the constitution of the country?” she asked.

    Usman explained that all further attempts by the NPA to get the company obey the payment directive was met with various excuses.
    She said the NPA management would proceed on a transitional arrangement to engage another firm.

    On fear of job losses, the managing director said that the workers would be absorbed by any entity that took up the job.

    On repair of port access roads, Usman said she had sent so many letters to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to provide clarity on budgetary provisions for the port access roads.

    Similarly, she said that the bad state of Ikom Bridge in Cross River had not allowed containers to move to the northern part of the country.

    The managing director, however, said that it was not under the purview of the NPA to provide N1.8 billion for the rehabilitation of port access roads.

    On the controversial contract on buoys, she said that the NPA management had discovered concerned officers that misguided the authority on the contract.

    “We need buoys. We are going to buy more buoys.

    “We hope that the controversy will be resolved to enable the firm – Marina Energy- to continue,’’ she said. (NAN)

  • Why we terminated Intels’ contract —NPA

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) yesterday explained why it terminated its boats pilotage monitoring and supervision agreement with its erstwhile agents, Intels Nigeria Limited.

    A statement signed by the General Manager Corporate and Strategic Communications of NPA, Abdullahi Goje, said that the Authority relied on advice from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice to terminate Intels’ contract.

    The statement said that the AGF’s advice was sought after trying in vain for more than one year to get Intels to comply with the Federal Government’s directive on the Treasury Single Account (TSA).

    “The first such correspondence was through a letter written by the former Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mr. Olumide Oduntan on June 28, 2016, directing the company to pay all revenues collected on behalf of the NPA into the TSA sub account at the CBN.

    “All further attempts by the Authority to get the company obey this directive was met with various excuses until the Authority wrote to seek the AGF’s legal advice on how to proceed with the NPA/Intels relationship in a letter dated May 31, 2017.

    “The legal advice contained in a September 27, 2017 letter addressed to the Managing Director of the Authority, Hajia Hadiza Bala Usman,  by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN) expressly  stated as follows: ‘For the avoidance of doubt, the agreement for the monitoring and supervision of pilotage districts in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Nigeria on terms inter alia that permits Intels to receive revenue generated in each pilotage district from service boat operations in consideration for 28% of total revenue as commission to Intels is void, being a contract ex facie illegal as formed for permitting Intels to receive federal government revenue contrary to the express provisions of Sections 80(1) and 162(1) and (10) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), which mandates that such revenue must be paid into the Federation Account/Consolidated Revenue Fund.

    “In the premise of the above, the conflict between the agreement and the TSA policy presents a force majeure event under the agreement, and NPA should forthwith commence the process of issuing the relevant notices to Intels exiting the agreement which indeed was void ab initio.’ “

    The statement said as a responsible agency of the Federal Government, the NPA had no option but to act as advised.

    “The Authority has taken note of threats by Intels to withdraw its investment plans in Nigeria and must point that business thrives in favour of everyone involved only when the laws of the country of operation are adhered to.

    “No organisation is above the Nigerian constitution and it is only when all corporate entities obey the laws of the country that everyone benefits. There must be a level playing field for all players in the sector, and this is the commitment of the Authority.

    “However, the Authority respects the right of Intels and all other corporate entities in Nigeria to explore opportunities presented by the courts to enforce their rights inasmuch as the Authority is confident of the correctness of the step that it has taken.

    “The board and management of the NPA is committed to serving the best interest of Nigeria at all times, and this is what has happened in the case under discussion.”

  • NPA advises officers, truck drivers on safety standards

    • As new image maker resumes

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, has directed officials to ensure that truck drivers at the seaports observed the Minimum Safety Standards (MSS) in their operations.

    Ms Usman gave the directive at the opening of a capacity building workshop for the drivers, organised by the NPA and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

    Represented by the General Manager, Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), Mr. Ahmed Yusuf, Ms Usman said the agency would continue to collaborate with agencies at the ports to build an effective synergy that would ensure that trucks doing business at the ports complied with  minimum safety standards.

    Ms Usman, while commending the organisers of the workshop, urged the participants to practise what they learnt from the event.

    In his welcome address, the Lagos State Sector Commander of the FRSC, Mr. Hyginus Omeje, said the MSS was first introduced in the oil and gas sector when the FRSC commenced the implementation of the scheme

    Omeje, represented by the Legal Officer of the Command, Bonaventure Nnamani, lauded the NPA for the partnership and also enjoined participants to open their minds to safety standards.

    The NPA has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the FRSC on the implementation of MSS for trucks operating at the ports.

    The MoU empowers NPA and FRSC to raise Joint Inspection and Certification (JIC) teams to oversee its full implementation.

    Meanwhile, the new General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications Division of the NPA, Alhaji Aliyu Abdullahi Goje, has assumed duties.

    Goje was the general manager, Eastern Zone, before his redeployment to the division.

    He began his  career with the Borno State Government as Land Officer in the Ministry of Land and Survey, shortly after his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) assignment in 1983, and rose to  Deputy Director in charge of Land Administration in 1992.

    He transferred his service to the NPA in August 1993 as traffic manager, and has since managed the Traffic Department effectively.

    He was senior traffic manager in Lagos Port Complex, assistant general manager at Eastern and Western Zones, and port manager, Onne Port Complex, among others.

    The Borno State indigene attended the University of Maiduguri and Bayero University, Kano where he bagged Bachelor of Science Degree (B.Sc.) in Geography and a Masters in Land Resources.

    He has attended several management courses in and outside Nigeria, among which are Port and Shipping Management, Logistics, Transportation and Port Training in New York; a performance culture in a concessioning system, South Africa; Strategic Management and Policy.

    In an interactive session with the officials of the division, Goje directed his officers to key into the management thrust, which is anchored on “Excellence of Service” prioritising a most“effective synergy with team work as our theme”.

    According to the new image maker, result is key in the activities of the divisions, adding that this must be geared towards the NPA brand appreciation through commendable information management and dissemination.

    “I have high hopes we will deliver on our targets and responsibilities,” he said, adding, “As professionals, we have to think of the best way to ensure we sustain plausible publicity mileage for the NPA and its management utilising technology and innovations.’’

  • NPA, stakeholders flay contractors handling Apapa Road

    NPA, stakeholders flay contractors handling Apapa Road

    • FEC urged to visit port

    Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Managing Director Ms Hadiza Bala Usman and stakeholders in the maritime industry have expressed dis-pleasure with the slow pace of work by contractors handling the Apapa Road.

    The two-kilometre road starts from the Lagos Port Complex,  Apapa to Ijora Bridge end of Western Avenue.

    Ms Usman said the contractors needed to bring more equipment to site and increase the number of moles used to fast-track the completion of the road as specified in the terms of agreement with the Federal Government.

    Addressing reporters, after over three hours inspection of the level of work and the quality of job done so far by the contractors, she bemoaned the snail speed at which the contractors were carrying out the project. She assured port users, truck owners/drivers and Apapa residents that the Federal Government, through the NPA, would see to the quick completion of the road to alleviate their suffering.

    The NPA, she said, is collaborating with the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and the Bureau of Public Enterprise  (BPE) to ensure that funding for the relocation of gas pipes and other utilities  delaying the quick delivery of the two-kilometre road are made available to the contractors.

    “The contractors have not been able to reach optimal performance. They are still within one to two per cent completion. I have made them to understand that their level of performance is unacceptable. They need to increase the tempo of their work and deploy more efficiently. I have assured them that I am committed to seeing that relocation fund is released to them. But the level of the work as we have seen it now is not in the manner that we want. Therefore, we have made it clear to the contractors the equipment they need to complete their job on time.

    “NPA will ensure that the two-kilometre road is completed within the period stipulated. The concerns we have raised would be resolved as we have put in place a robust monitoring mechanism,” Ms Usman said.

    Residents of the area and motorists, who expressed their delight over the visit  to the site, said there was a need for the total regeneration of the roads by the government.

    There were complaints from port users, truck drivers and Apapa residents and its environ over the parlous state of many roads in the area, and the inability of the contractors to mobilise enough equipment to site.

    Apart from the complaints over the slow pace of work and the untold hardship to motorists, residents and motorists waste quality man hours as a result of gridlock caused by the reconstruction. Apart from the problem on major roads leading to the Lagos ports, many roads in Apapa have become so bad with many failed sections, most of which have become death-traps.

    An Apapa resident, Mrs. Kikelomo Aderoju, said residents suffer untold hardship everyday passing through the Ijora-Apapa and Mile 2-Tin-Can Port Road, adding that the situation has got worse since the contractor was mobilised  for the reconstruction of the road, from the Lagos port complex to Western Avenue.

    She urged the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to visit the area to alleviate their suffering.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Mrs. Aderoju said, has to lead other members of FEC to the Lagos seaports to see how bad the roads are.

    Mrs. Aderoju, like other residents, said the visit would enable the Federal Government to assess the state of the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports.

    They accused the contractor handling the project of not doing enough to deliver the road on time.

    Some of the stakeholders are members of the Bible Society of Nigeria (BSN), who asked the government to fix the roads and reduce users’ suffering

    The group said it was no longer news that the Apapa/Oshodi Expressway and the Ijora/Apapa Road were deplorable and begging for quick attention by the contractor handling them.

    The group’s Secretary-General and Chief Executive Officer, Dare Ajiboye, said the roads posed dangers to life and also have negative effects on trade and commerce.

    “The appalling state of these roads does not project a good image for our country. Foreigners, who come into the country through the ports will not see these roads and give us the respect we deserve as a nation. The stress of going in and out of Apapa and its attendant health challenges have adverse effects on the productivity of the nation,” he said.

    The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) President,  Prince Olayiwola Shittu, said the revenue from the port for a month was enough to fix the roads.

    Shittu urged the Federal Government to rehabilitate the roads and resolve other challenges to make the ports more attractive and competitive.

    NPA, Shittu said, generated over $147 million in 2006 and collected over $105 million. From 2007 to 2009, he said, the NPA generated $979,010,266 and collected $689,683,545.

    According to findings, NPA made $852,623,584 from 2010 to 2012 and collected $816,184,072 from the Lagos ports.

    At the Lagos port Complex and Tin-Can Island Port, the NPA generated $311,838,719 and collected $351,153,963 in 2013; $852,269,943 in 2014, while $754,362,679 was remitted to its domiciliary account.

    Apart from the huge amount of money generated by the NPA, Apapa and Tin-Can Customs Commands generate over N1 billion daily, from the ports. The amount excludes what the National Agency Ffor Foods Administration Control (NAFDAC), Port Health, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Shippers Council and other agencies realise.

    Shittu said vehicular congestion, which causes gridlock, has added to the cost of clearing goods, aside driving away businesses from the area.

    He alleged that importers were diverting cargoes to neighbouring countries because of the gridlock, while new investors were being discouraged from the area and residents had started looking for homes outside Apapa.

    “The roads leading to the Apapa ports have collapsed and Lagosians and other port users expect the contractor handling the Apapa road project to do it the way the NPA Managing Director has demanded at several fora.

    “In Apapa alone, there are about 60 tank farms for storing petroleum products, which account for 90 per cent of the total imported products into the country. All these, as well as other maritime-related businesses such as freight, clearing and forwarding easily make Apapa a hub of maritime activities,” he said.

    Apapa, Shittu said, is not only reputed for maritime activities, manufacturers take advantage of the ports to site companies in the suburb.

    Apart from manufacturing companies, such as Dangote Sugar Refinery, BUA Group, and Honey-well, he lamented that other businesses have shut down because of the gridlock.

    “The real problem is that government is making huge money from the ports without the necessary infrastructural development,” he said.

     

  • Apapa/Wharf road: NPA MD directs contractor to improve performance

    Apapa/Wharf road: NPA MD directs contractor to improve performance

    The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Usman, has urged AG Dangote, the contractor handling Apapa/Wharf Road to improve on its performance.

    Usman made the plea after inspecting the Wharf access roads in company of her management team in Lagos on Saturday, noting that better performance would reduce the stress in doing business at the ports.

    She said: “The construction commenced on July 17 and the contractor has not been able to reach the optimum performance as expected.

    “They are still within one to two per cent completion stage and one to two per cent of what they required to deploy within this period.

    “They have indicated the concerns and constraints they have around relocation of utilities, they have identified and found gas pipelines underneath the road works.

    “They are working on relocating roads and they also identified electric cables and poles that need to be relocated and other forms of utilities.

    “I had made them understood that their level of performance is unacceptable. They need to increase and deploy more efficiently.”

    According to her, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is in discussion with the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to ensure that the construction company reviewed and approve accordingly.

    She frowned at the level of construction work on the Apapa/Wharf road, adding that the level of construction was slow.

    The NPA chief said the two-kilometre road would be completed within a year as stipulated, adding that the concern expressed by the contractor would be resolved.

    NAN