Business
Reps Score Rivers Port High
The House of Representatives Committee on Ports, Harbours and Waterways has scored high the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Rivers Port on service delivery, performance and productivity.
The House Committee which was on oversight function to the port yesterday, said it was in the port to get first hand information and to assist in solving the port challenges.
Addressing the management of the Port in it’s Basket House complex, Chairman of the Committee, Hon Ossy Prestige, accompanied by five other members said the committee’s findings would help their legislative duties lawmakers and create room for improvement.
Hon. Prestige called on the port management to ensure the prompt payment of all fees and lease charges from BUA port terminal and Port Terminal Operarors Limited (PTOL) to increase its monthly revenues.
The House Committee also charged the Port management to focus more on the maritime sector, saying the ports are next to oil in terms of revenue generations
Hon. Prestige who represents Aba South, federal constituency commended the port management for its infrastructural development in the port, especially in the area of providing working tools to enhance productivity. The committee which also visited the management of BUA ports and terminals and PTOL office located in NPA complex, appealed to the operators to always ensure regular payment of their fees and charges from their lease to improve the NPA revenue and enhance cordial relationships in the sector
Earlier, Port Manager, NPA, Rivers Port, Abubakar Garba Umar , had said that the port recorded an improvement in vessels traffick in the second and third quarters of 2018.
Umar told the House of Representatives committee that 80 vessels were received in the 3rd quarter, while 71 were recorded in the 2nd quarter of same year.
He also said there is an increase in the number of containers that come to the ports compared to previous years
“We are recording an increase in containers in the port, containers that do not come the port now comes freely, just as the port has received over 78300 metric tonnes of cargos this year.
The port manager called on the Federal Government to tackle the insecurity experienced in the waterway’s which according to him, scare vessel owner’s from patronising the port and thus reduce state and federal revenue.
Chinedu Wosu