NPA donates 3 security boats to Navy, launches ICT desk

Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) yesterday handed over three patrol boats to the Nigerian Navy to support its operation on the nation’s territorial waters.

During the handover ceremony in Apapa, Lagos yesterday, Managing Director of NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi, said the patrol boats were donated to enhance the capacity of the Navy to conduct effective surveillance on the nation’s maritime domain.

“This presentation of patrol boats to the Nigerian Navy is a demonstration of our determination to collaborate and partner with other relevant government agencies to secure the nations territorial waters both on and offshore.
“With their unique operational features and capacities, the patrol boats will augment the fleets of the Nigerian Navy in their search and rescue operations within the nation’s waterfront.
“The amount of money expended to procure the boats from the meagre resources of the authority makes the authority believe that the Navy would make good use of the patrol boats for the purposes they are meant for,” Abdullahi said.
Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin, who was represented by the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command, Rear Admiral Samuel Alade, shortly after receiving the boats said they had come at a time the Navy needed them to combat sea robbery, oil theft, piracy, illegal bunkering and other illegal activities on the nation’s waters.
“What NPA gives to us is commendable especially at a time when we are being faced with security challenges.
“The service will put it in good use and depending on the Chief of Naval Staff, it will be deployed to Lagos to fight anti-piracy war,” he said.
Alade assured that the Nigerian Navy will find it easy to maintain the boats in collaboration with the manufacturers in South Africa.

The patrol boats are were named NNS DORINA, NNS TORIE and NNS EGEDE. DORINA is 32 metres long while the others are 17 metres long.

Launch of ICT desk for efficient ports operation
Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Habib Abdulahi, yesterday launched an Information Communication Technology (ICT) help desk and computer gallery at its headquarters in Marina, Lagos.
Apart from NPA headquarters, the ICT and computer galleries have also been established in all the six port locations, the Eastern and Western Zones, and Abuja Liaison Office.
Abdullahi said the initiative behind the launch of the help desk was to transform and restructure the way the organisation undertakes its activities and ensure compliance with international best practices.
“The objective is to improve overall efficiency of port operations, block revenue leakage and provide comfort for the shipping community. This development represents yet another milestone for the organisation and management few weeks after the deployment of the e-payment solution,” Abdullahi said.
He also said that the new initiative is expected to change fundamentally and positively the ICT literacy and interaction level within the organisation by bolstering application of computer automation in its processes and driving ICT culture within the organisation.
The NPA boss said that in the next few months, the help desk will transform into call centres for local and international clients of the organisation.
“The ICT help desk is specifically designed to escalate hard and software challenges to ICT engineers for prompt response.
“Management has also identified the need to establish a call centre for our customers across the nation where they can lodge their complaints and expect timely responses to their issues,” Abdullahi said even as he enjoined the staff and officers of the organisation to take advantage of the enabling environment provided to improve processes that will deliver first class service to customers and stakeholders.
Executive Director, Finance and Administration of NPA, Mr. Olumide Oduntan, who also spoke at the launch, said NPA management was desirous of delivering a totally transformed and highly efficient port system in line with the transformation agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“As we deploy technology across our businesses, it becomes imperative to have a project office or a clearing house where information about the different projects can be disseminated to members of staff on a one on one basis and where members of staff can call to request for support,” he said.