The House of Representatives has advocated for the Federal Government to re-award the contract for the dredging of the Calabar Seaport to a reputable company, with a mandate to complete the project within a specified timeframe.
In line with international best practices, the lower chambers also called on the Nigerian Ports Authority to supervise the project and ensure that standard depth is established to enable larger vessels to berth at the port.
The House further mandated its Committee on Ports and Harbours to “investigate the contracts awarded in 2006 and 2014, respectively, with a view to ensuring that all factors militating against complete dredging of the Calabar Seaport are resolved.”
They also lamented that Calabar seaport is the oldest in Nigeria, from where palm oil and other goods were shipped to Europe and other parts of the world in the 16th century.
These resolutions were sequel to the unanimous adoption of the motion moved by a member of the House, Alex Egbona, at the plenary on Tuesday, titled ‘Call to Complete the Dredging of the Calabar Seaport.’
According to Egbona, quick completion of the Calabar Seaport will help to decongest the Lagos ports and reduce the hardship of waiting for hours to clear goods.
The lawmaker also noted that the port was privately operated by various shipping companies, including John Holts, until December 1969 when the Federal Government took over the port’s facilities from the erstwhile operators and vested it on the NPA.
The House is concerned that though Calabar Channel Management was reported to have commenced work, the port is yet to be dredged till date.”
He further noted that the development, modernisation and expansion of the port complex was embarked upon under the third National Development Plan of 1975–1980 and commissioned on June 9, 1979, by the military regime led by General Olusegun Obasanjo.
The lawmaker further recalled that there had been diverse government proclamations on the dredging of the port dating back to the regimes of General Ibrahim Babangida and General Sani Abacha “but no tangible thing had been done to rehabilitate the port.”
He said, “The House is also aware that in 2006, the then President Olusegun Obasanjo administration awarded a contract for the dredging of the port to Messrs Jan De Nul and Van Oord at a cost of $56m but abandoned the projects in a protracted moribund state.
“The House is further aware that in 2014, former President Goodluck Jonathan initiated the Calabar Channel Management, a Joint Venture company between the Nigerian Ports Authority and a consortium of companies led by Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company Limited with a mandate to dredge the port.
