Ports Authority plans N807m for rehabilitation of burnt building
By Chris Ndibe
The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority ( NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, has said the agency had earmarked the sum of N807 million for rehabilitation of the burnt portion of the agency’s building as a result of the recently ended #EndSARS protests in the country.
She made this known during the 2021 budget defence session the agency had with the Senate Committee on Marine Transport in Abuja.
According to Usman, the N807 million was different from monies to be spent on replacement of 27 vehicles set ablaze by the vandals and three outrightly stolen .
“These vehicles being operational ones, need to be replaced as soon as insurance companies come up with the aspect of losses to be shouldered .
“Aside burnt building and vehicles, other working tools like 317 computers were looted as well as photocopiers, cost of replacement of which will be above a billion Naira when added to the N807million already estimated for rehabilitation of the burnt building,” she said.
Usman, however, assured the committee that the agency, based on ongoing arrangement with the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Inland Waterway Authority (NIWA) was coming up with lasting solution to trucks gridlock on roads leading to the ports in Lagos .
An electronic call up system she explained has been put in place for trucks accessing the ports for evacuation of goods.
“Trucks Park has been established in Orile, Lagos which is to serve as call up centre for any truck waiting to evacuate goods at the ports .
” Besides this arrangement, ultra modern rail line leading to Apapa port and water transportation being offered by NIWA, are also helping out,” she said.
In his own presentation , the Managing Director of NIWA , Dr George Moghalu informed the committee that the N3.9 billion budget estimates proposed for the agency in 2021 would be primarily implemented towards upscaling the development of Inland Water Transportation in Nigeria .
According to him, out of the N3.9 billion budget estimates, N1.3 billion is for recurrent expenditure , N1.4 billion for capital expenditure and N1.1 billion projected as remittance to the Consolidated Revenue Fund ( CRF).
In his remarks after the budget defence session, the Chairman of the Committee , Senator Danjuma Goje told the agencies to scale up their projected revenues drive in 2021 for easy implementation of the entire budget.
“Be rest assured that this committee shall through its oversight functions, monitor your revenues drive in 2021 as well as remittance into the CRF ” , he said .