MD NPA, MALAM ABIB ABDULLAHI & CHAIRMAN HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PRIVITIZATION , AHMED YERIMA DURING THE VISIT.

Port Concessionaire Lobby government for Lease Extension

The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Mallam Habib Abdullahi has assured the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) and Terminal Operators that NPA will continue to support their efforts at improving Nigeria’s economy.
The MD gave this assurance when the House of Representative Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation visited the Headquarters of the NPA as part of its oversight functions.
The meeting which was at the instance of the House of Representative committee on Privatisation was a follow up to an appeal from Ports and Cargo Terminal to the Nigerian Ports Authority on some challenges they are facing as concessionaires.
Spokesman of Ports and Cargo Terminal and General Manager, Legal Services Mr Tunji Olusinde, told the Reps that their challenges will be handled if they get a reduction on the lease agreement fees and renewal of their concession tenure.
Malam Abdullahi recalled that the concession process which has been adjudged to be free and fair was bided for competitively by various interests and that it was important that along the tenure of the concession, concessionaires should adhere to the terms of agreement in order to sustain the credibility of the process.
Earlier, the Chairman of the committee, Honourable Ahmed Yerima ,had disclosed that the committee is out to assist the executive arm of Government in formulating a wholesome strategy that will be beneficial to the Nigerian economy in view of dwindling government revenue from the oil sector.
Honourable Yerima emphasized that global economy is heavily dependent on private sector participation. He called for the removal of bureaucratic bottle necks hindering economic growth by government and stakeholders
He called on BPE and the NPA to collaborate and sit with all concessionaires in order to move the economy forward.
The Director the BPE, Mallam Yusuf Adamu explained that the BPE has received the appeal from Ports and Cargo. He disclosed that after a careful study, a position paper will be submitted to the National council on Privatisation and the Nigerian Ports Authority for further action to be taken on their request.