The Nation Newspaper

Tag: NPA

  • NPA to repair Tin Can road

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has awarded the contract for the rehabilitation of the Tin-Can Port access road to a Chinese firm, The Nation has learnt.

    The firm has been mobilised for the job. But the contractor is yet to move to site because of logistics.

    Residents of Apapa, terminal operators, motorists, commuters, truck drivers and port users told The Nation last weekend that the road harbours criminals at night. They urged the Federal Government to award the contract for the repair.

    A senior official of a terminal said the road has caused untold hardship to importers, commuters, port users, truck drivers and motorists.

    The road, the official said, deserves the attention of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola and his counterpart in the Ministry of Transport Rotimi Amaechi, as over $5 billion investments at the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports, are being threatened by the bad road.

    He noted that total reconstruction of the road would stem criminalities, reduce revenue losses and environmental degradation in and around the ports.

    Some importers suggested that the road could be done under a Public- Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to take the ports out of the woods.

    When The Nation visited the area at the weekend, more than 30 potholes were in front of the Tin-Can Island Port, which the NPA contractor must attend to.

    Investigation revealed that about seven out of 10 port users  fear falling victim to criminals when departing the port at night, while some claimed to have been attacked in the last two months.

    Mr. Samson Adetowubo, from Ikorodu axis, whose car was vandalised while leaving the port, said the road is insecure at night, warning other port users and commuters to be vigilant and not to have a false sense of security if they have any reason to follow the road to Mile 2 or Apapa after 7p.m.

    “Street urchins popularly called Area Boys have taken over the failed section of the road in front of Tin-Can Port. They extort motorists, truck drivers in the day and attack innocent citizens at night.

    “I am happy that many of you journalists were here when the Senate Committee on Marine Transport visited the port. The Minister of Transport Rotimi Amaechi also visited the same port. But it is a pity that despite their visit, nothing has been done to ameliorate the sufferings of port users and commuters. The road is worse than the way they met it because of the rain.”

  • NPA eyes export to meet $1.2b revenue target

    NPA eyes export to meet $1.2b revenue target

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)  yesterday said it would go into strategic partnerships as well as encourage exports to achieve its  $1.2 billion revenue target for this year.

    Its Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, who spoke in Lagos, said the agency was already reaching out to the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the ministries of agriculture and solid minerals to work out other means of assisting in diversifying revenue sources for government, especially in growing exports for the country.

    According to the NPA chief, the agency may even surpass its target if current economic indices improve. He said the agency is also set to dedicate some port terminals to export hubs for agriculture and solid minerals. He said there are proposals for ports that will be solely dedicated to the export of agric produce adding that the Ilaje port in Ondo for was being proposed for solid mineral export.

    Abdullahi further stated that the NPA was already working out a strategy with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) on how to achieve this milestone, even as the terminal operators are also being re-oriented to support the success of the programme.

    He said this will not only help in the diversification of the economy, but also compensate for the revenue the ports are losing, as there is the urgent need to utilise the many containers that are lying idle in the ports and being taken away empty.

    According to him, NPA’s primary responsibility is to raise more revenues for government and work to assist in expanding the economy and ensure the nation’s dependence on oil is reduced significantly. He said the NPA is doing this by encouraging export promotion and foreign direct investment (FDI).

    He also stated that the agency is working  hard to ensure smooth operations at the ports. According to him, managemnt has so far developed an inter-modal type of transportation system, railways and motor roads within the ports to ease congestions in the Lagos and Port Harcourt ports, adding that the projects are 93 per cent completed.

  • NPA seeks ICRC’s support to review port agreement

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi, has sought the support of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) to review  its agreements with terminal operators.

    Abdullahi made the appeal during his meeting with the Director-General of the ICRC, Mr Aminu Dikko.

    He said the review of the agreements would boost activities at the ports, giving room for better ports operations and more investor participation.

    Abdullahi said the development of access roads to the Lekki Deep Seaport project would ease transactions.

    He said NPA intends to synergise with the ICRC and other stakeholders to develop fisheries at the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal 2, and turn it into a modern fishing terminal.

    He canvassed the dredging and maintenance of water channels at the Calabar and Warri ports through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) approach.

    The NPA boss said that agricultural exportation could be achieved with ease if there were rail lines to help in transporting agricultural produce to the port terminals.

    He suggested that the ports could be decongested of containers by using them to export solid minerals and agricultural produce to other parts of the world.

    In his speech, Dikko promised to fully support the NPA in its drive to achieve its set goals. He, however, said that for the agency to attract investors there must be a ports master plan to guide it. He noted that the master plan would also inform investors on the activities of the agency and the nation as a whole and guide them on what to invest in.

    He praised the NPA for setting up a PPP unit and assured that the ICRC would help build the capacity of staff in the department.

  • Five feared dead as NPA warehouse collapses

    Five persons were feared dead in a building collapse at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at Area 1, Sea port in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, on Saturday evening.

    A source said the building was within an old warehouse where items were stored.

    It was not clear last night what led to the sudden collapse of the building, though another source linked it with corrosion.

    The five casualties were reportedly working at the warehouse when the building suddenly caved in.

    Ports Police Unit could not be reached to confirm the incident and police spokesman Ahmad Muhammad, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said the area is outside his jurisdiction.

     

  • US’ ‘training support’ for NPA

    US’ ‘training support’ for NPA

    The United States Consular General to Nigeria, John Boay, has pledged to assist the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) with training and capacity building.

    Boay spoke when he visited NPA Managing Director Mallam Habib Abdullahi in his office.

    Abdullahi said NPA would create an enabling environment for achieving efficiency and capacity building within its hub.

    The develop ment of deep sea ports, he said, were geared towards achieving greater productivity at the ports.

    The proposed deep sea ports, Abdullahi said, include: Lekki, Akwa Ibom and Badagry, adding that specialised deep sea ports are being conceived for Ogun and Ondo states.

    He said the support being sought by the NPA from the United States was important because of the industry’s role in a nation’s development.

    Abdullahi said the authority was ready to partner with the US to achieve its targets.

    “Some of the achievements recorded by the present management of the NPA include the enforcement of its regulatory status to Terminal Operators, achieving standards and avoiding “porousness in the ports by making sure that things are done rightly’’

    He spoke of improvement in intermodal transport through the rail system where goods are moved from the city to the hinterland. At present, there is a rail line linking Lagos to Calabar, Lagos to Kano and Port Harcourt which is being expanded for efficiency.

     

  • How NPA, Transport Ministry shortchange Federal Govt

    How NPA, Transport Ministry shortchange Federal Govt

    Maritime operators  have raised the alarm of a likely loss of at least 20 per cent of the revenue expected from the sub-sector.

    The loss will come, they claim, if the subsisting revenue collection  arrangement with the Nigerian Ports Authority  (NPA), in collaboration with the Ministry of Transportation, is left unchanged.

    To stave off the loss, the operators believe the Presidency and Minister of Transportation  Rotimi Amaechi must stop what they termed multidimensional under-the-table deals by top NPA officials, the ministry and  their private sector allies.

    The Nation investigations revealed that the ministry and the NPA have, over the years, entered into deals and embarked on initiatives that clearly shortchange the Federal Government, depriving it of huge revenues.

     

    Industry experts contend that the initiatives, which ordinarily should deepen government earnings, have turned out to be drain-pipes, through deliberate acts of mismanaged to favour some private sector players and their collaborators in the public service, at the expense of the federal government, and by implication, the nation.

    An example that was readily cited is the Oil and Gas Export Free Zone.  Only on April 17 last year, according to the website of the Oil and Gas Export Free Zone Authority,   the Federal Government approved the Oil & Gas Free Zone in Lagos under an  arrangement it described as private/public participation model with a company called Eko Support Services (ESS) as the key driver.

    Further investigation revealed that this arrangement, riddled with several holes has left many questions unanswered, and indeed has put the

  • NPA bars rickety vehicles at ports

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) management has started enforcing the minimum standard of trucks entering the Lagos Ports.

    “No rickety vehicle would henceforth, be allowed to enter the Lagos ports,” NPA Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi said.

    The NPA boss has, therefore, urged  truck owners stationed on the port access roads in Apapa and Tin-Can Island to remove them or pay N25,000 fine.

    Its General Manager Western Ports, Chief Michael Kayode Ajayi, in conjunction with a combined team of law enforcement agencies have embarked on a mobilisation exercise to sensitise truck drivers and road users within the Apapa and Tin Can Island axis on the need to maintain the minimum standards of their trucks.

    All the vehicles entering the ports, Ajayi said, must meet the minimum standard and pay the NN10,000 entry fee imposed by the NPA

    Over 2,000 vehicles, he said, have keyed into the programme.

    The combined team of the law enforcement agencies involved in the exercise were the  Police; officials of Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA); Vehicle Inspection Office (VIO) and NPA Security led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Mr S. Sani.

  • NPA, Commerce Chamber collaborate

    NPA, Commerce Chamber collaborate

    The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is partnering the Kano State Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture to boost trade.

    Its Managing Director, Mallam Habib Abdullahi also promised, during the visit of officials of the Chamber to his office, to post an officer to the chamber for effective regulation.

    He praised the strategic role being played by Kano indigenes in the port concession programme as represented by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, who is the Chairman, Greenview Development Nigerian Limited (GDNL) and Alhaji Samad Rabiu of BUA Industries Limited.

    He promised that the agency would continue to participate in the yearly Trade Fair in Kano.

    The Chamber’s President, Mallam Umar Farouk Rabiu, urged NPA to build a permanent pavilion at the Kano State Trade Fair ground, adding that as a mark of respect for NPA’s continuous presence at its past trade fairs, the Chamber has provided a permanent office for the organisation at its secretariat to promote ports business.

    Rabiu promised to continue to promote NPA and the industry.

     

  • Japan partners NPA on technology, infrastructure

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi, has said the organisation supports the infusion of Japanese advanced technology in critical areas of its operation to boost infrastructural and technological development of the ports.

    He spoke when a Japanese delegation visited him in office.

    Abdullahi, who was represented by the General Manager, Capital Projects, Mr Rufai Mohammed, said the agency would make its technical and infrastructural needs available to the Japanese government for their support.

    Abdullahi said the authority was involved in massive infrastructural renewal projects at its headquarters, in Onne, Warri and Lagos ports. He added that the organisation’s 25 years Development Plan would soon be ready

    He noted that NPA had benefited in training programmes organised by the Japanese government in the past, and that it is a welcome development that such assistance is coming again.

    He said the visit would further improve the collaboration between Nigeria and Japan, especially now that NPA was embarking on capital-intensive port reforms aimed at making the ports the leader in Africa.

    The Section Manager, Urban and Transportation Planning Group of the Yachiyo Engineering Company Limited, Mr Yasuhiro Yamauchi, assured that the Japanese government is ready to partner NPA in particular and Nigeria in general, especially in the area of technical abilities that would be useful for different projects in the country.

    The Japanese representative said Japan was ready to help Africa, but that they wanted to start with Nigeria because of its population and economy.

  • NPA, NSC to begin 48-hour cargo clearance next year

    NPA, NSC to begin 48-hour cargo clearance next year

    To promote trade facilitation, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) may introduce the much-awaited 48-hour cargo clearance next year, it has been learnt.

    NPA Managing Director Mallam Habib Abdullahi and his NSC counterpart Mr Hassan Bello took this decision, following the directive of Transport Minister Rotimi Amaechi, who visited NPA Lagos office last week.

    “With the new directive from this government, NPA and the NSC officials are strategising on how to achieve the 48-hour cargo clearance early next year,” the Federal Ministry of Finance (FMoF) a senior official, who did not want his named mentioned, said.

    The official identified sharp practices and charges for services not rendered as factors militating against the 48-hour clearance and urged the Ministers of Transport and Finance to address the problem.

    “We are aware that NPA and NSC are not happy over the past failure of 48-hour cargo clearance policy. Apart for the fact that the delays experienced in cargo clearance disrupted the production schedules of manufacturers as raw materials are not delivered in good time to their factories, they affected their revenue and were responsible for high level of corruption at the port as importers struggled to clear their cargoes under harsh conditions. This again exacerbate inflation as goods were not quickly cleared from the port to meet relevant needs in the economy.

    “In the past, the Federal Government had made several failed attempts to achieve 48-hour cargo clearance at the ports. Former President Goodluck Jonathan administration had at a time constituted a presidential committee under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Finance, with some co-opted members from the Ministry of Transport, to address the perennial problem of long cargo dwell time at the ports.

    “But what could rightly be termed as the achievement of the government intervention, unfortunately, was that it merely succeeded in getting a backlog of cargoes cleared to ease port congestion. After that, it became business as usual,” the official added.

    Meanwhile, over 6,000 shippers, it was gathered, have keyed into the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) introduced by NSC to secure the ports and environ. ICTN, it was learnt, would also assist the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in risk profiling, assessment and valuation to move cargoes out of the ports within 48 hours.

    Investigation has shown that as from January 1, next year, any vessel that fails to comply with the ICTN would be penalised.

    Contacted, Bello spoke of the need to streamline cargo clearance procedures and ensure that the ports compete with others in West and Central Africa.

    “Nigerian ports are in competition with other ports within the sub-region, so we have to streamline our clearance procedures–the way we do business – so that we can attract more cargoes to Nigerian ports,” he said.