NPA pledges to enhance critical infrastructure within port communities

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has promised the residents of Nigerian port communities that it would continue to work towards enhancing infrastructure within the environment.

Mohammed Bello-Koko, managing director of the NPA gave the assurance in Lagos on Thursday during the commissioning and handover of the refurbished Mini Waterworks in Apapa to the Lagos State Water Corporation, a project embarked upon by the NPA in partnership with the Lagos Channel Management (LCM), its joint venture partner.

Bello-Koko said the project is in line with the NPA’s commitment to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals number six, which is to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

According to him, the SDG goal is in harmony with the Authority’s dedication to the welfare of the people living and working in the port environment.

“The successful commissioning of the 2.4 million gallons per day water plant is just the beginning of the Nigerian Ports Authority’s long-term plans to enhance the infrastructure and living conditions across our port locations. We intend to intensify necessary collaborations geared towards the improvement of lives of our stakeholders and communities in a sustainable manner,” he explained.

He said the commitment explains why the authority gave speedy approval to the request of LCM, its Joint Venture Partner to resuscitate the Apapa Water Works which had been non-functional for over 15 years.

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The NPA boss however implored all users to take frontline ownership of the investment by ensuring it is adequately maintained.

On her part, Kesi Seun-Adedamola, general manager of Legal Services at LCM, said the LCM, which is 60 percent owned by NPA, sponsored the project because it felt that repairing the waterworks was a laudable project to undertake within its host community.

She assured that the LCM and the NPA will look into the appeal made by the residents to see to the completion of phase two of the water project, which involved the reticulation of the water.

Earlier, Muminu Adekunle Badmus, managing director of the Lagos Water Corporation, described the project as a lifeline for the Apapa community and its neighbouring areas as it will serve as a sustainable source of potable water that will foster the well-being of the people.

While commending the NPA for the support in rehabilitating critical components of the treatment plant including servicing of boreholes to the repair and painting of tanks, he said the Corporation is already embarking on the drilling of an additional borehole to improve the raw water supply to the treatment plant.

Idowu Senbanjo, chairman of the Apapa Local government area, appealed to both the NPA and the Lagos Water Corporation to look into the completion of phase two of the water project, which is the reticulation of the water.

She said the water project is one of the key pillars of the essential infrastructure that needs to be executed in Apapa. She said that despite having individual boreholes that the people of Apapa do not have drinkable water, which explains why people have been buying tank loads of water for N15,000 and N20,000 every two days.

Recall that in 2021, the NPA rehabilitated the Accident and Emergency ward of the Apapa General Hospital. This is in addition to the acquisition and deployment of a first-of-its-kind in Africa incinerator for efficient waste management.