Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdulahi, has identified the inability of the organisation to acquire office accommodation for its large number of staff as the major reason for the slow pace of renovation of its headquarters building in Marina, Lagos.
Habib told visiting members of the Senate Committee on Marine Transport yesterday that the building renovation the project, which was awarded in 2011, was 58 per cent completed.
He said the original completion period of the renovation was 18 months.
He said relocating personnel and acquiring approval from Lagos State Government are other constraints that hindered timely completion of the project.
He also briefed the Senators, who were on oversight visit to the organisation, on other ongoing capital projects being undertaken by the organisation.
He said: “In pursuance of the development of our ports to ensure that they meet international standards in service delivery and satisfying the requirements of ports users and stakeholders, the management embarked upon the rehabilitation of the East and West Moles Lagos; the Apapa port rail network; access road to the KLT (Kirikiri Lighter Terminal) Phase II; construction of 1.6km dual carriage road inside the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa as well as eleven strategies project in both FLT (Federal Lighter Terminal) and FOT (Federal Ocean Terminal) at the Onne Port Complex.”
He also disclosed that rehabilitation of the Tin Can Island Port Complex, Lagos quay wall and quay apron were 96 per cent completed.
“The rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt rail network, Rivers State is 35 per cent completed and the rehabilitation of Terminal B and 9 of old Warri Port are 95 per cent and 90 per cent completed respectively.”
Chairman of the Committee, Hajia Zaynab Kure, commended the NPA management for the various projects especially the recent launching of the e-payment and the ICT and computer gallery for revenue generation.
She also disclosed that some bills which the Senators had worked on at the committee level was being adopted by the executive for fine-tuning and re-introduction to the National Assembly.
“Just recently, we got information that that some bills that we have worked on has been taken over by the executive for re introduction.”
Kure said that she is optimistic that the new bills will help the work of the NPA and other agencies.
The wife of the former governor of Niger State said the committee decided to return to NPA after an initial visit last month because it wanted to see the extent of the work done under its 2013 appropriation.
She however said that the apology of the NPA Managing Director over his absence during the committee visit to the agency last month had been accepted by the members.
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