The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has begun the rehabilitation of internal roads in the Tin-Can Port, to ease the movement of cargo as the rainy season approaches.
The ports authority is also embarking on concrete fencing of the port in line with the provisions of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, in order to reduce the rate of pilfering and improve sanity within the port premises.
Speaking on Friday during the inspection of the road repair and perimeter fencing projects, Mohammed Bello-Koko, the managing director of the NPA, said as people keep complaining about the roads leading to the port, which are the responsibilities of the Federal Government, the NPA has taken it upon itself to ensure that the roads within the ports are in a good state.
According to him, it has started raining in Lagos, which is why the NPA management team deemed it necessary to look at the level of execution of the contract awarded to Avalon Intercontinental Nigeria Ltd.
“We have also given the contract for the concrete fencing of Tin-Can Port. This is to ensure we keep individuals who have no business in the ports from coming in to enforce the usage of automated access control gates. We want to improve sanity and to ensure that only people that have businesses are in the port,” he said.
Commending the level of work done by the contractor, 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.
“The contractor said that a section of the road will be concluded in two weeks’ time, and we will ensure that it is done. We know that there are issues of flooding in Tin-Can and the contractor has created a drainage outlet into the main creek, the Port Novo Creek to ensure evacuation of water. We are also doing it in other port locations including Onne, Calabar and Rivers Port, to ensure that roads within the port are in a good state,” he explained.
On the perimeter fencing, Bello-Koko said the essence was 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.
He said it will also reduce the number of thugs, miscreants and pilfering in the port, thereby creating an enabling business environment within the port.
