Apapa Ports: NPA, Dangote, Flour Mills to jointly raise N4.3 billion

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has been compelled to consider raising N4.3 billion to reconstruct access roads to Apapa Port owing to the withdrawal of services by port operators due to poor infrastructure.The Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Usman, made this decision public at a stakeholders’ meeting in Lagos, where she said NPA would provide N1.8 billion, whereas Dangote Group and Flour Mills would jointly cater for N2.5 billion.The stakeholders’ meeting was convened by NPA to regain operators who withdrew their services from the port.Usman said: “We have received proposal for Corporate Social Responsibility of N2.5 billion from Dangote Group and Flour Mills for the full reconstruction of port roads. The reconstruction entails full drainage service and the total cost of the Apapa port access roads project is N4.3 billion; the two entities are willing to provide N2.5 billion, while NPA will pay the remaining N1.8 billion to ensure that the roads are done.”She promised that the reconstruction would kick off in the space of a month, and said it was also in her interest to complete the project as soon as possible.Usman however said such move would necessitate an approval by the Federal Executive Council for the Federal Ministry of Works and NPA to execute the project.She said NPA has solicited the Federal Ministry of Works to supply the final engineering design and costing needed for the construction of the Creek road and Liverpool road later in the year.“I feel concerned about the deplorable state of these roads and I communicated at a meeting with the minister that we are willing to fund these roads irrespective of which agency of government is doing it, Usman said.According to Usman, the NPA management is to make provision for a year budget for the reconstruction of the roads.The Federal Ministry of Works has been urged to quickly complete the reconstruction of Coconut/Mile 2 road in Lagos.She also said NPA is to solicit the permission of the Federal Ministry of Works to complete work on the holding bay, a project to be undertaken in a Public Private Partnership arrangement.Usman noted the lack of a desired holding bay, trailer parks and ports access roads as reasons for the congestion around Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports.Her commendation goes to the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr Hassan Bello, for his intervening role in settling the ongoing disagreement between ports operators and NPA over poor infrastructure at the port.Bello emphasized the need for mutual understanding amongst stakeholders to check on the challenges experienced in ports operations.He then begged the port operators to suspend any adverse action that would derail normal ports operations while they exercise patience for NPA to carry out its initiatives.In the words of the Chairman Corporate Fleet Truck Association, Mrs Folake Soji-George, she encouraged NPA to take action against tanker drivers plying one-way roads.Soji-George opted for the deployment of security agencies who should be duly responsive to ensuring free flow of traffic to speed up business activities at the ports.The National Publicity Secretary, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Mr Kayode Farinto, called on the government to check the multiple charges demanded by customs.