…Express Satisfaction on Tin Can Port Infrastructure
By Obiabin Onukwugha, Port Harcourt
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr. Adegboyega Oyetola, Monday, has said that the Maritime sector needs infrastructure to drive it and diversity Nigeria’s economy.
The Minister stated this during a tour of the Lagos Port Complex Apapa, Lagos State, on Monday. Oyetola during the visit, met with stakeholders and heads of government agencies in the maritime industry.
He said there were lots of other opportunities that remained untapped for so many years in the blue economy sector, and commended President Bola Tinibu for thinking along that line.
Touring round facilities at the Port, the Blue Economy Minister, lamented the dilapidating state of the Lagos ports and called for urgent rehabilitation of the infrastructure and facilities.
Oyetola further lamented that the infrastructure at the Port was collapsing, and promised to collaborate with the terminal operators on how to urgently rehabilitate the ports, especially, rebuilding of the collapsed quay walls.
He said: “I intend to go around and see things for myself and I have seen a lot of things, the challenges, the need to activate a lot of things about our ports.
“The infrastructure is almost collapsing from what I have seen. So it is a major rehabilitation that has to be carried out. However, I am impressed with the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority but we need to support them.
“I am looking forward to a situation where the terminal managers will be willing to contribute to the rehabilitation of the ports, it is important, if you do that they are going to make more money for themselves. So it is going to be a collaboration between the government and the terminal operators.
“I have asked them to let us have the report regarding the collapsed quay walls and what they have done so far. We need to know so that once we get approval from Mr. President, we will move to fix the quays.”
Oyetola emphasised the importance of infrastructure in driving the Marine and Blue economy. He said having the right infrastructure in place, will help diversify the Nigerian economy, decrying the fact that the country relies so much on oil.
“We need infrastructure to drive the Marine and Blue economy, if we have the right infrastructure in place, it will diversify the economy. We rely so much on oil. There are a lot of other opportunities that remained untapped for so many years. I must commend the President for thinking along this line. I believe we can do it.
“I think to avoid the collapse of the ports, we need to rehabilitate as a matter of urgency then dredging has to continue and then we can put all the other things in place.
On access roads, the Minister said, “I believe it is proper to look at it and I am going to be engaging the Minister of works and see what we can do together with the Minister of Transportation and with all these things, we are good to go. We are looking at the totality of the ports in Nigeria.”
In another development, the Blue Economy Minister, also carried out an inspection tour of Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, operator of Terminal C, Tin Can Island and subsidiary of SIFAX Group.
During the tour, Oyetola was received by the management of the terminal led by the Executive Director, Administration, Capt. Ibraheem Olugbade.
Oyetola expressed excitement at the level of infrastructural development and investment in the terminal and assured that the Federal Government would provide the enabling environment for investments in the maritime sector to be secured.
He notified that the ministry was working with relevant agencies to resolve issues hampering operations of the Terminal.
He said: “I am excited at what I have seen here today. As an indigenous terminal of repute, I take particular interest in the success of this terminal and its operations. We are working with relevant agencies to see that various issues hampering successful operations are resolved so the terminal operator can contribute more to the industry’s success.”
Earlier, Olugbade informed the visiting Minister that the Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited is one of the indigenous terminal operators in the country. He hinted that the terminal is waiting for the Federal Government to resolve the logjam around the concession renewal in order for the terminal to receive more investments that would boost the economy.