We Will Build More Modern Ports, Provide Infrastructure For Existing Ports- Dantsoho
We Will Build More Modern Ports, Provide Infrastructure For Existing Ports- Dantsoho
By Okezie Nnadi
The Managing Director Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr Abubakar Dantsoho has stated that to meet up with high demand of international trade, Nigeria will have to build new Ports and provide new infrastructure to existing ones.
This much was said at the commissioning of Maritime Workers’Union new Secretariat Annex in Lagos yesterday.
In his words: “Nigeria is a country of more than 200 million people in population, now our port capacity as of today, from our own record, we are only bringing two million containers to Nigeria. This is not a true reflection of our population, so we have to do what we can to insure that we get more containers in a genuine way into Nigeria. We cannot say that they are getting more containers in Lome ,in Cotonu,and in Ghana and other countries. While Nigeria is getting less, it doesn’t make sense at all. We have to do what we can do to be able to generate more containers into Nigeria because that will mean that our people are not productive, that will mean our youth are not employed and our country is not recognized internationally, this a major challenge for me and you and the country,and how do we achieve that we have to do these two things:
One,we have to have more infrastructure that is modern which means we can’t be depending on a port which was built In 1977 which is Tincan and a port which which was built in1958 which is Apapa, its not possible for us to grow and participate more on international trade by depending on very old Ports so we need a new infrastructure we need new Ports we are going to expand and modernize the Tin can and Apapa the way it is now it’s going to be improved this is the commitment of this new government ,new events towards improving Apapa and Tincan that is the commitment of Mr president and the Minister of marine and blue economy and it must happen very soon because Nigeria cannot be following Cotonu or following behind Ghana and other countries it is a very important challenge for us but it shouldn’t be just a challenge that the federal government will face, it is something that we all stakeholders must give our best to ensure that Nigeria is in her proper position globally.”
The MD continued by saying that “the other way we can do it as well, is for NPA to have the adequate equipment. We can’t say that we want to have more vessels here and we don’t have the adequate equipment that can treat them well, so if you want to see bigger planes like for example come to MMA they have to give them the equipment that will now go to detect people ,the ones that will push the planes,it’s the same thing with the ship’s so on our own part with the support of the federal government we are going to improve on our equipment. Now the third thing we are going to do we are working on that very hard it’s to insure that we have enough technology so in the same manner all of us are stakeholders,so the way NPA is trying to improve technology in our transactions and businesses daily, we are also calling on you to also improve your processes and transactions by deploying technology because that’s the only way again Nigeria can beat Ghana, Lome, Cotonu and other countries,so I want to say this as someone that I feel our targets,or objectives and the goals of this government is regarding Maritime.”
so the next thing I want to say again is to appreciate the leadership of my brother here and then also Akin and other people and we look forward to cooperating with you because our objectives is to ensure that our own staff and officers their welfare is number one we should make them produce more and we are not going to play with that because we have had the experience that when you motivate your workers,you make them happy,you are giving them what is required for them to be productive they will be productive ,so we’re not going to joke with that we’re going to continue till we improve the welfare of workers on the same plane, we’re also going to add that so that at least we are improving your welfare we are giving you what we can,we can’t do that without enough revenue so we also expect you put in more so that we will have more things to satisfy the demands or the requirements that will make you feel more motivated,” he explained.
He lauded the President -General, Maritime Workers’Union of Nigeria (MWUN) ,Dr Prince Adewale Adeyanju as very supportive and compassionate, saying that Adeyanju has supported him in many capacities, even while he was at the ministry.
Speaking earlier, the President General MWUN, Prince Adewale Adeyanju heaped praises on Dantsoho for
bestowing on MWUN the honour of gracing the occasion in his capacity as the MD NPA.
“Maritime Workers’Union of Nigeria, today is our greatest day and if you are to look back at the history of maritime workers union you are the first MD that has visited our secretariat this shows that you are worker friendly, that is you are equally a worker before you became an MD and you weren’t brought from outside to fill the MD of NPA you are a grassroot worker of Nigerian Port authority. We are so happy that this our secretariat, now the Union has evolved and people were called ‘agbbero’ are no longer ‘agbbero’, we have been transformed to a modern standard, that era of shutting down the Port operations has been stopped under my leadership. So you are welcome today, we just want to appreciate and congratulate you for the things you’ve done so far.”
About The Author
