ENL Consortium, operator of Terminals C and D of the Lagos Port Complex Apapa, has donated various types of office items including desktop computers, photocopy machines, laser jet printers, and UPS backups to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to cushion the effects of the damage done to the NPA headquarters on October 21 by suspected hoodlums.
The suspected hoodlums, under the guise of the #ENDSARS protest organised against police brutality in the country, had set the NPA headquarters annex building and several vehicles on fire. The arsonists also carted away several office equipment belonging to the agency.
Speaking during the donation of the items in Lagos on Tuesday, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of ENL Consortium, Princess Vicky Haastrup, reiterated her condemnation of the attack on the NPA headquarters building.
She said, “It is rather sad that anyone would attack a national asset like the Nigerian Ports Authority which is the gateway to the Nigerian economy where vital services are rendered for the good of the generality of the people. Without the services rendered by NPA, the wellbeing of Nigerians will be in jeopardy.
“It is through the ports that vital goods come in and go out of the country. It is through the ports that goods are shipped to other countries to earn much-needed foreign exchange.
“Thousands of Nigerians earn their living and feed their families from the work they do at the ports. NPA is also a major revenue earner for the government. In essence, all Nigerians own NPA and benefit from the services of NPA.
“It is therefore befuddling that some Nigerians would conceive the idea of attacking this institution that benefits us all and that is crucial to the economic well being of the country.”
Princess Haastrup, who doubles as the Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), reiterated her earlier call for security operatives to fish out the perpetrators of the attacks.
“Those who committed this heinous crime must not be allowed to go scot-free. I wish to once again appeal to our security operatives to fish out the criminal elements and prosecute them to serve as deterrent to others and to protect our national assets,” she said.
Princess Haastrup said the office items were donated by ENL Consortium to support NPA “at this very difficult time”.
She said, “In November when my colleagues and I under the Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria (STOAN) visited you, we promised to support you in cushioning the effects of the unfortunate attack.
“Many of my colleagues have visited you afterwards with their support and we are also here today as ENL Consortium to hand over out support to you.”
NPA Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Onari Brown, who received the donated items on behalf of the Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman, said, “What has happened to us is rather unfortunate. For NPA to be targeted by hoodlums is so amazing and we have not been able to fathom why. But the fact that corporate bodies like ENL Consortium and other terminal operators are standing by us has given us strength to carry on.
“People may ask, the things that were looted, the things that were burnt; were they not insured? Yes they were all insured but you know the system of insurance; the more you pursue insurance, the more things come up. But the immediate relief you have given to us has been a source of huge succour to us.”
