The Minister
of National Planning Commission, Dr Abubakar Olanrewaju said the Federal
Government would strengthen the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to perform its
statutory roles for maximum growth of the maritime sector.
The NPA
stated this in a statement made available to newsmen on Friday in Lagos after a
familiarisation tour of the ports in the Western Zone by the minister.
According to
the statement, the minister said NPA had performed ‘effectively and
efficiently’ in the discharge of its statutory responsibilities within the
concession regime.
It said
Olanrewaju reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to diversify the economy
by tapping the enormous maritime potential of the nation as an alternative
source of revenue.
The statement
quotes the minister as saying that, “With the challenges facing the oil sector,
we must start to look for alternative means of increasing our revenue and the
best sector that needs government encouragement is the maritime sector.’’
It noted that
Olanrewaju said the maritime sector must be efficient, while both the Federal
Government and the port operators would synergise collectively to harness
various opportunities within the sector.
“The
minister commended the NPA and other stakeholders for their efforts toward
overcoming both human and traffic congestion within the port environment being
one of the characteristics of the industry before concessioniing
“The Federal
Government will not fail in its responsibility in expanding the ports’ access
roads as well as come up with a mechanism to boost maritime operations.’’
The statement
said the minister pointed out that the concession of most terminals in the
nation’s ports was actually done in the national interest.
It noted that
the minister said the various internal security surveillance systems in the
ports would significantly improve cargo clearance and translate to increased
revenue for government.
According to
the statement, Olanrewaju assured the management of NPA and other stakeholders
that the commission and the National Council on Privatisation would come up
with their findings on the challenges facing the industry for government’s
consideration.
