News
FG Threatens Sanction Against Erring Ports Operators
Worried by the poor operations and management of ports in the country by concessionaires, the Federal Government says it will sanction any company that fails to improve the condition of the port concessed to it.
The leader of the Ministerial Task Force on Ports Charges and Efficiency, Mrs. Chinwe Ezenwa made this known when the team visited the Port Harcourt Port on its tour of ports across the country.
The Port Harcourt Port built in 1913 was concessioned in 2006 to BUA and Terminals Limited and the Ports Terminal Operators under the Federal Government’s privatisation programme for efficient management.
But for four years after the exercise, no improvement seems to have been recorded at the port.
Ezenwa who spoke to newsmen after inspecting facilities at the Port Harcourt Port, expressed dissatisfaction at the poor operations at the port. He was emphatic that the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the people are not benefiting as ships were not berthing.
Ezenwa who is also Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Transport noted that “by the time we come back to the Port Harcourt Port and no improvement is seen, we will have no option than to sanction the companies. There are a lot of lapses in the port management”.
She decried the poor security and safety of dock workers there, pointing out that many people are dying of hunger because ships are not berthing at the Port Harcourt Port due to poor management.
While noting that foreigners are having upper hand in the establishment, the task force leader told the concessionaires not to allow foreign influence to override their operations to the detriment of the landlord – NPA and the people of the country.
Consequent upon the poor management at the port, Ezenwa directed the two companies to improve the operations of the port latest September, insisting that “We have not seen the NPA function as we expect”.
She also directed the port operators to revert to the old tariff to attract more shippers and importers to the port and stressed the need to liaise with the Minister of Transport if there is any bottleneck in their activities.
She explained that her team was in Rivers State to see for itself the present condition of the Port Harcourt Port in order to find ways of improving its services toward boosting the nation’s economy.
The representative of BUA and Terminals Limited, Alhaji Alhaji Muhammed Ibrahim Lile told the team that one of the problems facing the Port Harcourt Port is lack of pilot boats to bring ships from the Bonny terminal to the Port Harcourt Port, and assured that the collapsed berth A of the port under his company would be rebuilt in October.
A spokesman of Ports Terminal Operators Limited, Alhaji Ahmed Abdudulahi said that his company would commence container services soon.
Shedie Okpara
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has reaffirmed his resolve to remain steadfast in delivering development projects across the state, declaring that political distractions will not derail his administration’s commitment to the people.
The governor gave the assurance last Wednesday, while inspecting the ongoing rehabilitation of major roads within the old Port Harcourt Township, including the Creek Road Market project.
Apparently reacting to the prevailing political atmosphere, Fubara insisted that his priority remains governance and service delivery, not political pressures.
“I have promised our people that no matter the situation, we will not lose focus on governance,” he said.
“They entrusted us with leadership, and the least we owe them is confidence, stability and the assurance that governance will continue strongly.” he added.
Accompanied by Engineer Michel Issa of Setraco Nigeria Limited, Fubara toured several completed and ongoing roadworks, inspecting rehabilitated streets around Moore House before concluding the exercise at the Creek Road Market.
Speaking on the market redevelopment, the governor described the project as central to the revival of the old Port Harcourt township, noting that the modernisation of the facility would restore its lost glory and improve commercial activities in the area.
He explained that the new market was designed to accommodate traders currently operating on the roads, a situation he said contributes to traffic congestion and the rapid deterioration of road infrastructure along Creek Road.
“What are we trying to do? You can see the difficulty in driving through Creek Road because we don’t have proper settlement for marketers,” Fubara said, adding, “If we fix this market, those trading on the streets will move inside.”
According to him, relocating traders into the market will make it easier to properly rehabilitate the roads and preserve their structural integrity, while also enhancing the aesthetics of the township
On the road network, the governor disclosed that the rehabilitation works span from Borokiri through all major streets in the old township, stressing that the approach is holistic and aimed at delivering lasting infrastructure upgrade.
