LAGOS – Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman at the weekend assured stakeholders in the industry of the Authority’s determination to ensure effective service delivery in all Nigerian Ports aimed at making the nation’s maritime sector more competitive and a hub in the sub-region. Bala Usman made this pledge while receiving members of the House Of Representatives Committee on Ports, who paid working visit to the NPA.
Represented by the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Mohammed Bello-Koko, she explained that the Authority was working to reduce the dwell time of cargo at the Ports as well as embrace multimodal transportation through the use of locomotive trains and barges for the evacuation of cargoes in and out of the Ports to the hinterlands.
She said: “Over 95% of the cargoes coming into the Ports are taken through trucks and that is not efficient. There must be multimodal means of transportation to include trains and barges in order to reduce congestion and we are working towards this.”
In his remarks, Garba Datti Mohammad, Chairman of the House Committee on Ports said that the visit to the Ports was to avail the committee with the workings of the Ports and find out ways that the House could enhance Port operations.
He thanked the Management of NPA for cooperating with the committee.
“It is necessary for members to see things for themselves and also meet with the operators so that we could better appreciate activities and operations of not only the NPA, but also terminal operators and other service providers.”
Hon. Mohammad stated further that the visit was to appraise the 2019 budget performance in line with the directive of President Muhammadu Buharito Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government during the presentation of the 2020 budget.
He commended the management of NPA for the positive developments in the sector, assuring the committee’s readiness to partner with the Authority towards improving the maritime sector, given its importance to the national economy.