Apapa Port Gate
From Benjamin a ameh, Lagos
In efforts to clean up some wrong doing within the nation seaports, the port manager at his capacity has given Squatters Final Quit Notice adding that theirs’ lodging and operating within the nation’s seaports are illegal and therefore they has leave the ports or face the consequences of their actions.
The statement was issued by the Port Manager, Lagos Port Complex (LPC), Nasir Mohammed, while chatting with journalists in Lagos, said the warning became necessary due to the security challenges in the country now.
Mohammed further pointed out that the port remains a security facility and cannot accommodate those without legitimate business.
“Like we mentioned sometimes back, recent security assessments revealed the presence of some squatters and some other unauthorised persons who, for one reason or the other, found their way into the port. Now, we have identified them and what they are doing. Some of them claim to be responsible for providing services to some of our sister agencies in the port.
“So, for that reason, we have written to our sister agencies inside the port, drawing attention to the fact that such persons are not acceptable to remain inside the port. We have written to the Immigration, we have written to the Controller of Customs, Apapa Port. We have written to the Area Commander and the DPO of Apapa Port as well, drawing attention to the existence of some of these persons who in some cases harbour around their offices”, he said.
The port manager who did not hind said that the dislodgement of the squatters would be carried out by a combined team of agencies operating at the port.
This is not the first time the authority is carrying out the dislodgement of squatters in the nation’s seaports.
It carried out a similar exercise last year to ensure that unauthorised persons do not use the port to perpetrate any form of criminality.
Still within maritime, the construction of the Gas Industrial Park Project at Ogidigben Port, Warri, Delta State has received a boost with a call on all stakeholders to joins hands in the building of the facility.
Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Habib Abdullahi in a statement issued in Lagos said all hands must be on deck to ensure the successful execution of the port for the interest of all.
According to Abdullahi, the project should be of great interest to the nation considering the tremendous economic and social benefit that would be derived from it when it is successfully completed.
The managing director gave reason for speaking at a meeting with officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on the progress so far made on the project in his office in Lagos while assuring the stakeholders that the NPA would collaborate with the NNPC for the successful execution of the project
Abdullahi implored all those involved with the project to fast-track the process so that appreciable progress could be made before the end of April as he commended the NNPC for its giant strides on the project, especially in the area of resolution of the conflicts among the communities on where the project is to be cited.
He noted that, since NNPC had been able to resolve the NPA’s concerns, the authority would work on other areas like dredging and breakwaters construction.
The Nation seaports boss who did not hind his felling, described the Ogidigben Port as a national project and assured that the request for a sizable land for the project would be looked into by the authority.
