- Friday, May 3, 2024
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Managing Director of the Nigerian
Port Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko said yesterday said the defects in
the facilities at the nation's ports were hampering efficiency and productivity
in the ports.
He said the defects include the
Quay Wall, replacement of old gravity walls and the rehabilitation of Escravos
breakwaters.
Koko who spoke while defending
the 2024 budget of the agency said the NPA is projecting about N629.89 billion
revenue in 2024 while looking for a N200 billion loan from Afrexime Bank and
the United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF).
According to him, the total
projected expenditure is N464.32 billion, while the operating expenses are
projected at N212.03 billion, and the capital expenditure stood at N252.29 billion.
He said part of the main trust of
the 2024 budget of the NPA is the urgent need to rehabilitate, reconstruct, and
moderate the dilapidated port infrastructure.
He added that it was aimed at
improving port efficiency and increasing cargo traffic through investment
funding from the financiers, UKEF and Afriexim.
The Chairman of the Committee,
Rep. Nnolin Nnaji, said the agency is dear to the country, adding that the
committee needed to visit some of the facilities outside Lagos.
“We need to see those things you
are telling us. The House of Representatives is very serious about budget
defense, while they do screening on the other side. Budget defense is here.”
He commended the MD for the
budget presentation, saying,” I believe in the subsequent budget, the MD would
do better, “We accept this budget, and we will move further with it.
The committee also said the
drainage channels were full of wreckage, expressing worry over a lack of information
on wreckage removal.
The committee said as long as the
NPA avoids the wreckage, it will keep occurring because of the abandoned ships,
urging the NPA to look into it.
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