Lawmakers,SIFAX Group Demand Urgent Dredging Of Warri Escravos

By Mattex Omonext, Delta

The Nigeria’s House of Representatives Committee on Privatization and Commercialization said the dredging of the channel from Escravos to Warri has to be done urgently.

Chairman of the committee, Hon. Kolade Victor Akinjo made the assertion while on a working visit to the Warri Port with members of his Committee.

He stressed that this is because vessels has to come in to Warri port because of it’s strategic position with a view to ease the heavy workloads the ports in Lagos are bearing at the moment.

Akinjo said the purpose of visiting Warri Port was to ensure that there is a synergy between the investors and the Management of the port.

Akinjo added that the visit is also to assure investors like Ocean and Cargo that they would not be cheated and to encourage them to be efficient.

Akinjo advised the Management of Ocean and Cargo,a subsidiary of Sifax group to carry the host Communities along in employment matters and to also carry out some developmental projects for them like scholarship awards etc. to avoid Community problems.

Akinjo said the House of Representatives Committee will laise with Red Chamber of the National Assembly as well as the Presidency to make sure the Nigeria Ports Authority,NPA becomes viable again because of its economic importance to the nation.

In a response, the Executive Director(Legal Services) and Secretary to Sifax,Barr. Olutunji Olusinde said there is a moratorium of one year in the payment made to the Management of NPA.

He said, this means Ocean and Cargo will commence payments on the property by February,2020 whereas they have not started operation.

Olusinde explained that,this is because the channel which was supposed to be ten meters deep have not been dredeged and that the breakwater constructed years ago has become an impediment to vessels and liners.

He appealed that the Federal Government should help in the dredging of the channel to help them Kickstart operations in the Warri area.

Olusinde said the major areas the port would serve when operational is the Middle belt,Onitsha and Delta areas

While noting that Aba is closer to Onne port than it is to Warri, Olusinde said if the operations starts the company would have at least three hundred direct staff minus auxillary staff.

The Port Manager, Mr. Okeke Simon Okeke said the management of the Warri Port is working towards the dredging of the channel but that it cannot do it alone because there are NNPC pipes criss crossing the channel and that they have to be relocated for it to be easier to dredge the channel which was last dredged in 1982.

Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Privatization and Commercialization that visited visited includes, Hon. Kolade Victor Akinjo; Chairman,Hon. Ben Benjamin; Hon. Ikem Agbonta, Hon. Musa Umar and Hon. Olumide Ojarinde.

Others are Hon. Timehin Adelegbe; Hon. Egoh Oghene; Hon. Chris Nathaniel and Hon. Aminu Mohammed,Clerk