Menu

Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)

Hadiza

Terminal operators visit burnt NPA, assure management of support

, , , 0

By Moses Uwagbale

The Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) said it would help replace some of the items lost to the recent attack on Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos by suspected hoodlums.

Mrs Vicky Haastrup, Chairman of STOAN, said in a statement in Lagos on Tuesday when she led port operators on a sympathy visit to the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, over the attack which led to the burning of a section of the NPA headquarters.

Haastrup described the attack as “sad and mind-boggling’’.

“We are most saddened by what we have seen. It is actually beyond anybody’s comprehension that so much carnage and destruction can be done to a government property, particularly NPA.

“I can imagine what the NPA management has gone through. It must be a very difficult and sad period for them because they put together so much and then some hooligans somewhere can just come and carry out this level of damage to the property.

“We sympathise with them and that is why we all decided to pay them a courtesy visit to let them know that we are with them and very sad.

“This is a government establishment where we all benefit from and as well enjoy support with their team of management.

“I assure you that as terminal operators, we are ready to support, especially in replacing some of your office equipment, but we will wait for the outcome of the insurance,” she said.

Also speaking during the visit, the Managing Director of PTML Terminal, Ascanio Russo, commended the combined effort of the police and navy in repelling the hoodlums that invaded the Tin Can Island Port in the wake of the EndSARS protest.

He, however, appealed to the NPA management to check the influx of unauthorised persons loitering around the port area, calling on the need to beef up security to guard against any future attack at the port.

“The situation at Tin Can Island is still very precarious. There are far too many people working around the port and it is not clear what they are doing. We appeal to the NPA to look into this,” he said.

Bala-Usman, while expressing appreciation to the terminal operators for the visit, said NPA was going through a difficult period but assured that the authority remains resilient.

“We are keen to bounce back and we have commenced work and luckily our IT infrastructure was not damaged.

“We have insurance cover for literally everything so we are trying to recover as much as we can through our insurance process to see how we can replace some of our equipment within the shortest possible period so that we can get back to work,” she said.

The MD promised to liaise with the Lagos State Government to dislodge miscreants loitering around the Tin Can Island Port Complex.

The terminal operators were shown slides of the extent of destruction done to the NPA headquarters by the attackers.

They were also conducted round the affected area by the NPA Managing Director.

STOAN members on the visit included representatives of ENL Consortium, APM Terminals, PTML Terminal, Tin Can Island Container Terminal, Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited, Port & Cargo, and ECM Terminal.

NPA

Attacks on Ports Authority shocking

, , 0

By Tanko Mohammed 

Heads of maritime agencies have expressed shock over the attack and level of destruction at the corporate headquarters of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in Lagos. 

The office was touched by hoodlums during a nationwide peaceful protest by youths. 

According to a statement by Mr Philip Kyanet, Head, Corporate Communications, NIMASA, the chief executives expressed their concern on Friday during a solidarity visit to the site of the incident. 

They were surprised that NPA was singled out for attack and burnt in spite of its documented Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Relations initiatives, many of which were tailored to youth development. 

The NPA headquarters was recently targeted by mobsters who hijacked the #ENDSARS protest against police brutality to cause mayhem in many cities around the country. 

Speaking on behalf of the chief executives, Managing Director, National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr George Moghalu, condemned the assault, saying the level of destruction was monumental and constituted a huge loss to the maritime community as a whole. 

Moghalu said, “Seeing the level of destruction here first hand, we feel very sad about the turn of events. 

“We are all in solidarity with the NPA management. This is a great loss to the entire country and we need to educate ourselves more that violence is not the best way to go about things.” 

In a similar vein, the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Bashir Jamoh, regretted that the maritime industry was made to face this challenge while still battling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He said that port facilities were critical national assets that should be collectively protected. 

“Port facilities are invaluable economic assets and they are critical to national development and so it behoves on us all as citizens to be custodians of this monumental infrastructure built for our collective good,’’ Jamoh said. 

The NIMASA boss commended the Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, for providing leadership at this trying time for the agency. 

Jamoh said that the Nigerian economy would have suffered considerably if the destruction had led to suspension of port operations. 

“This is a sad event, especially, for our industry that is still battling with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We are just lucky that this did not stop shipping operations because this would have negatively impacted or crippled the Nigerian economy,” he said. 

Bala-Usman called the attack an assault on the maritime industry, saying that the level of destruction was incomprehensible. 

Other chief executives of maritime agencies present were: Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr Hassan Bello; and Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Mr Sam Nwakohu. 

NPA-Building-Arson

Critical information, documents not destroyed in NPA headquarters attack

, 0

By Tanko Mohammed 

Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has said that critical information, finance and payment documents of the authority were not tampered with during the fire incident at its headquarters. 

Bala-Usman made this known on Sunday in Lagos when addressing newsmen after an on-the-spot assessment of the damage at the headquarters. 

Hoodlums on Oct. 21, 2020 masquerading as EndSARS protesters set part of the anex building of the NPA headquarters and some cars on fire. 

According to Bala-Usman, critical documents and information are not sited in the affected area, and so  have not been tampered with. 

She said that the building, being a critical infrastructure of the Federal Government in Lagos, was a target during the attacks on facilities. 

The managing director also spoke on allegations of not having adequate security personnel to man the premises. 

“NPA was attacked on Oct 20 at TinCan Island port by hoodlums; the commissioner of police with the help of the Nigerian customs was able to repel the hoodlums. 

“Due to the attack on TinCan port, our priority was to secure the ports, the Nigerian Army and Navy deployed were at the port because we felt the port was more critical to our economy. 

“We did not feel the need to deploy them at the headquarters coupled with the fact that we had mobile police on ground at the premises. 

“On Oct. 21, we had an attack at the headquarters building in Marina. 

“They disarmed the security people and gained access to the premises where they torched so many places, burnt 27 vehicles, and a whole wing of a building was also torched. 

“We were able to get the support of the Nigerian armed forces and they were able to apprehend six of the hoodlums who are with the Nigerian Navy undergoing interrogation, and necessary actions will commence within the necessary judiciary provision,” she said. 

Bala-Usman said that the over 300 hoodlums came with knives, daggers and were attacking security personnel at the building. 

She said the security personnel  were in a weak state and demoralised due to the fact the policemen were butchered across the state and had to run for their lives. 

The NPA boss said that all assets were duly insured as required and the insurers had been invited. 

She said the organisation was  going through the process of reclaiming its insurance. 

The managing director said that they were able to resume all port operations within 24 hours of the attack. 

She said that only one of the officers trying to escape had a fracture when he was trying to jump down from the office building, to gain access to the next one. 

The managing director said air conditioners, water dispensers, television, and even small tables and chairs were carted away by the looters. 

She said that two vehicles were stolen  — a Hilux and Prado jeep. 

“Right now, we cannot determine the value lost until we are able to conclude with the insurance, so that they can provide the exact value, and an integrity test is ongoing to determine the integrity of the building. 

“Some of the vehicles are new for our operational use and recently approved by the Federal Executive Council, and also we have lost out on staff buses. 

“We are resilient and committed to ensuring that government gets its value in trade. 

“We are in a difficult position because of the state of our office and equipment, but we will soldier on, that is the Nigerian spirit,” she said.