NPA BOSS HARPS ON INTERMODAL TRANSPORT SYSTEM WITHIN THE PORTS

By Innocent Orok

Hadiza Bala Usman, MD, NPA

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) ,Hadiza Bala Usman has reaffirmed her administration’s commitment to work closely with the newly inaugurated board members of the NPA to ensure that the proposed Deep Seaports across the country come on stream. She also harped on linking of the ports through intermodal transportation system to eased the evaluation of cargoes within the ports system.

The NPA, MD said this on Tuesday while explaining some of the organisation’s activities on TVC . She said her administration has increased revenue generated by the NPA, adding that one of the concerns of the agency that makes Nigerian ports in totality not competitive is the absence of Deep Seaports.

The proposed deep seaports includes ; the Lekki in Lagos State, Ibaka in Akwa Ibom State, Olokola in Ondo State, Gelegele and Bakassi in Cross River State.

According to Usman , the agency’s remittance to the consolidated revenue fund is the highest under her tenure. The consolidated revenue fund is an account owned and managed by the Federal Government. Revenue generated by agencies under the Federal Government are paid into the account.

“The consolidated revenue fund has been the highest the NPA has ever made. Our revenue generation has increased, our contribution to the consolidated revenue fund has been the highest the Nigerian ports have ever made. So it has been a very productive four years for the Nigerian Ports and for the Country as a whole.

“The revenue generating agency has risen up to the challenge and has increased its contribution and also increased operational efficiency.”

The MD said she has had a mixture of interesting and challenging experiences in office, pointing out that:“It has been very interesting and challenging in some instances but overall, it has been a very fruitful journey. We have seen Nigerian ports move above some bounds,” she said.

In October, Usman had said under her watch, the authority increased the consolidated revenue funds (CRF) of the agency from N18 billion to N30 billion.

“In other areas, I would speak to our contributions to the Consolidated Revenue Funds (CRF). When we inherited it, we had a contribution of about N18 billion, but we remitted N30 billion in 2017, N30 billion in 2018,” she had said.

“These are clear differentials since my joining Nigerian ports. If you look at an N18-billion contribution to CRF, and then a N30-billion contribution, you can see that there is a huge difference.”

She also harped on intermodal system of transportation to boost trade facilitation adding that the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports would soon be linked to rail lines.