NPA: It’s time to reconstruct, and rehabilitate Tin-Can Port quay walls -MD

.Says agency has not increased port tariff in last 30 years

UGO Amadi

Worried about the state pf ports in the nation, The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has raised an alarm about the impending danger of not reconstructing the dilapidated state of seaports across the country.

He stated this while Speaking on TVC News on Tuesday night, stressing that the authority has been doing palliatives on the quay walls at ports in order to manage the situation but it has gotten to a situation where palliative works are no more obtainable.

He also noted  that the Authority has not increased it’s tariff in the last 30 years. Revealing that it was Towage Services that the Authority reviewed sometime around 2012 or 2014.

According to the NPA Managing Director, “The NPA has not increased it’s tariff since 1993. The rates that we have been using since 1993 is still the same rate that we are using today.

“The last time the NPA increased it’s tariff was in 1993. Yes, the cost of doing business at the ports may be high, but we have not increased our tariff in tbe last 30 years.

“It was in 2012 or 2014 that the NPA Increased the cost of Towage. Every other tariff has remained as it is since 1993.

“The cost of doing business could be increasing, but it’s not attributable to the tariff and rates of the NPA.

“What we did in 2012 was to harmonise the tariffs and merge them because they were so many. Before then, if anybody is looking for our tariffs, they will find many tariffs broken into pieces. So what we did then was to merge them.”

On port construction, the NPA MD said the situation at Tin-Can Port is the worst even though every other ports needs some level of rehabilitation too.

“What we have been doing is palliative works, trying to manage the situation. However, it has now gotten to a stage where we feel palliative works are no longer tenable.

“So what we have done is an Authority-wide NEED assessment where we checked those infrastructures. After that, we took a decision that it is time we fully reconstruct those infrastructures.

“Tin-Can Port is the one that is in a worst state, very terrible. We believe it is time to reconstruct and rehabilitate Tin-Can Port.

“There are some Quays at other ports too that need rehabilitation. Some Quays in Apapa, Warri, Calabar, Onne and virtually all the ports need rehabilitation.

“Our assessment showed that we need about $800m Dollars to rehabilitate all the ports