The Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports need immediate rehabilitation of the critical infrastructure, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola has said.
Speaking after a tour of the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports led by the managing director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko, in Lagos, on Monday, the Minister said to forestall collapse of the ports infrastructure there must be immediate rehabilitation.
He, however, called on terminal operators in the ports to collaborate with the federal government to rehabilitate the collapsed quays and other areas requiring rehabilitation.
“To avoid the collapse of the port we need to rehabilitate the port as a matter of urgency and dredging must continue and we can put other things in place.
“I have gone round to see the things for myself. I have been having ministerial briefing since the last 10 days and I have seen a lot of things such as the challenges and the need to activate a lot of things about our ports.
“Infrastructure is almost collapsing with what I have seen so far and it’s a major rehabilitation that have to be carried out and the dredging has to continue,” he said.
The former governor of Osun state, however, applauded the management of the NPA, saying they needed to be supported to achieve the desired reports.
“I am impressed with the management of the authority we need to support them and I am looking forward to a situation where the terminal managers will be willing to contribute to the rehabilitation of the ports. It’s important and if they do that, they will make more money for themselves, it should be a collaboration with the terminal and the government.
“We are carrying out remedial work on the quay wall very soon and I have asked them to let us have the report of what they carried out so far, we need to know the numbers so that we can get approval from the president for remedial work.”
