As part of its plans to reduce the rate of pilfering and improve sanity within the port premises, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has commenced the concrete fencing of Tin-Can Island Port in line with the provisions of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
Speaking in Lagos recently during the inspection of the perimeter fencing projects at Tin-Can Port, Mohammed Bello-Koko, the managing director of the NPA, said it will keep individuals who have no business in the ports from coming in and will help to enforce the usage of automated access control gates.
The NPA boss said the fencing has helped to ensure that fewer people are in the port, and he assured that NPA will keep enforcing and restricting entry into the port to only those that have business in the port.
Bello-Koko said the essence is to secure the port, not just for safety but to also restrict entrance because there are individuals that just wake up in the morning and want to come into the port without any business.
Read also: NPA begins repair of Tincan Port inner roads
He said it would also reduce the number of thugs, miscreants, and pilfering in the port, thereby creating an enabling business environment within the port.
He further said that the NPA has also increased patrol on the waterway using the recently acquired security patrol boats and is also working with the Nigerian Navy within the ports in Lagos to increase patrol.
“We are working with the NNS Beecroft but there are parts of the port along the waterway that NPA felt should also be fenced. But, if we cannot fence the waterfront, we continue to patrol it and restrict access into the port from the waterside using patrol boats and surveillance. Our security men are up to the task, and we will keep giving them all the tools that they need to improve their communication,” he said.
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