The Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, has refuted allegations that it’s current leadership under the Managing Director, Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman was hindering investment in the maritime sector insisting that in a couple of months it attracted over $86m Chinese investments.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Committee of Maritime Professionals, CMP, had accused the management of the NPA of causing loses to the sector with its ‘unfriendly reform policies’.
However, the NPA in a statement by its Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Ibrahim Nasiru, on Friday noted that the policies and procedures introduced since Usman assumed office were borne out of firm commitment to actualising the change agenda of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. It added that there were other investments in the pipeline running into billions of dollars.
It said, “In the same vein, the NPA is currently working with DP World to actualise the organisation’s determination to invest in Greenfield port opportunities in this country. The plan is to develop a DP World Terminal in the Lagos area and a suitable site is currently being sought.
“Both the brownfield as evident in the agreement on the Bulk Terminal and the Greenfield are investments worth billions of United States Dollars. Tanger Med Port of Morocco has equally indicated interest to invest in the development of Greenfield Terminal, Logistics Base and warehousing and a variety of other opportunities running into billions of dollars.”
While commending the CMP for its patriotic zeal which, it said, must have inspired its statement, the NPA called on all stakeholders in the maritime sector to work together in the best interest of the industry and the country.