Port Terminals: Reps Committee Launches Investigation Into Handling Of Operating Licenses, Alleges Anomalies…Invites Alkali, Oyetola For Explanation March 12

The Committee on Privatization and Commercialization, House of Representatives, has announced plans to investigate ‘anomalies’ observed in the handling of operating licenses for those in charge of the port terminals in the country.

 Chairman of the committee, Hon Ibrahim Hamisu also said  the Minister of Blue Economy, Mr. Gboyega Oyetola , Minister of Transportation,   Mr. Saidu Alkali , the Managing Director of the  Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA) , Mr. Mohammed Bello- Koko; the  Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprise, Mamman Ahmadu, and the Director-General of the  Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission,  Michael Ohiani, among others have been invited for ‘explanation’..

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Team@orientactualmags.com learned that Ibrahim Hamisu   issued the summons during the meeting he held with the seaport terminal operators in Abuja on Tuesday.

The lawmaker lamented the absence of the top government officials to explain their role in the concession of the seaport terminals.

The committee members  also expressed their displeasure in respect of the alleged shady manner the concession  process was managed which had allowed five companies to operate for five years without license  renewal which allegedly resulted in huge loss of revenue .

‘They (ministers) must appear before the committee on March 12. We also want to assure that this committee would work very hard to make sure that this issue is over and to do that, you are to furnish the Committee with all the relevant documents through the Secretariat by Friday’ he said

 Ibrahim also told the ports stakeholders that they were invited to the meeting to ‘discuss how best to address the prolonged renewal process because of the need to attract investments into our critical port infrastructure which is one of the major focuses of the current administration’.

‘From the brief we received from  the affected parties and the Ministries, Departments and Agencies involved in the process. We understand that as of today, what is outstanding in concluding the process that started over five years ago is the execution of the negotiated supplementary agreements for the respective terminals.

That was why we invited all stakeholders to see how we can work together to quickly address this concern in national interest’ he added.

 Hamisu  Ibrahim later told reporters  that there is a need to unravel why the companies in question are still allowed to operate without renewal of the concession agreement.

‘Some seaport terminals were given out on concession and five of them have expired. Some are from Lagos and some are from Port Harcourt. They were trying to see that their approvals get renewed in 2021.

Somehow, this renewal was not granted to them, but they have been operating since then. So, we deemed it fit to cross check and find out what the problem is.

We decided to invite them, and all the stakeholders like the Ministry of Blue Economy, ICRC, BPP, and the Ministry of Transportation. After inviting them here today, unfortunately only the seaport terminal operators are here. We have discussed with them and they have one week within which the Minister of Blue Economy, MD NPA, BPP and ICRC should appear before this committee.

They are to appear on March 12  at 10 am so that we can discuss with them, see where the problem is and take action so that we can  bring a lasting solution to the problem.

The names of the affected seaport terminals are Port and Cargo Terminal, ENL Consortium Terminal C, ENL Consortium Terminal D, Josepdam Terminal and AMS Terminal. There are the five terminals whose concession period has expired and they have been operating illegally from 2021 to date and we want to investigate and see what the problem is and whoever is in charge of this, we will deal with him’ he submitted.

While Oyetola and Alkali began to oversee their respective ministries on August 21 , 2023,  Managing Director of the  Nigerian Ports Authority, (NPA) , Mohammed Bello Koko, had also on May 16 ,2022, announced that  a temporary operating license of six months  had been given to the  five terminal operators in question ‘whose licenses and concession agreement had expired last year’ (2021) , calling this a strategy ‘to secure  commitment from the affected terminal operators and their counterparts on the rehabilitation of the decaying infrastructure at their terminals before a longer extension can be given to them’-Team@orientactualmags.com
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