NPA Generates N291bn In 10 Months

The Nigerian Ports Authority generated a whooping N291bn as revenue between January to October 2020, the Managing Director, Hadiza Bala-Usman has disclosed.

Bala-Usman who spoke on a television program on Thursday, noted that the revenue of N291bn was in contrast to the N298bn received last year.

She explained that a month was left to surpass the previously set record, adding that “Despite the challenges within the economy, the Nigerian ports between the period of January to October, was able to raise 291bn as revenue. In 2019, we raised 298bn between January to December. You can see that the differential is marginal.

“In November-December we may be able to meet up to what we made in 2019 or we may not. There was a reduction but it was not huge in terms of revenue.”

The NPA boss said port operations suffered a downtime of two days after recent attacks on port headquarters.

While reacting on the recent Endsars protest hijacked by hoodlums attack on the corporate headquarters, she said, “Regarding our operations, we had a downtime of two days sorting internet services provisions for payment. We were up after 48 hours to continue operations.

“The offices torched were corporate and strategic communication and some part of the audit department- the windows got burnt but we didn’t lose any documents.

“On one side we look at it as random hoodlums, on the other hand, we also have a lot of questions to answer like why your office? However seven people were arrested and we have CCTV footage of the attack.”

Harping on the controversial Secure Area Anchorage , Bala Usman explained that some of the push backs she has faced include the Secure Anchorage Area, saying this refers to the fees collected by Ocean Marine Solutions Limited, a maritime security firm, for securing vessels on Nigerian waters.

She said, “On OMSL, it is the secure anchorage area where vessels are made to pay for being secured within the Nigerian ports. And this started in 2013 to provide that platform in partnership with the Nigerian Navy.

“Fast forward to 2017, we felt that it wasn’t necessary for people to be paying money to secure their vessels on water. It is the responsibility of the government through the Navy and NIMASA to secure at zero cost to the owners.

“Just between January and July, OMSL received $17m in revenue for securing vessels and none of those revenues went to the coffers of the federal government.”

Usman explained that the fees collected by the OMSL is not in the interest of Nigerian citizens and she said activities of the firm will be dismantled as she had escalated the issue with the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.

 

By Roland Ekama