Terminal operators should collaborate with FG to rehabilitate port infrastructure - Minister
Kathy Kyari
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Alhaji Adegboyega Oyetola, has called for the collaboration of terminal operators with the Federal Government to rehabilitate the collapsed quays and other port infrastructure in order to forestall a total collapse.
The minister stressed the need to urgently rehabilitate the Lagos Ports Complex and Tin Can Island Ports Complex, Apapa, Lagos.
Oyetola made this assertion during his maiden tour of the Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports in Lagos.
According to him: “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.
"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.
“Absolutely we need to restructure and put the right infrastructure in place and it’s a way of revitatlising the economy we rely so much on oil and there are lot of other opportunities that has remained untapped for so many years and we must commend the president for creating the ministry.”
The Minister also stated that he would engage with the Federal Ministry of Works on rehabilitation of the port access roads.
On access road, he stressed the importance of putting it in place, hinting that he would engage the Minister of Works to see what can be done together.
Oyetola disclosed that he he had already discussed with the Ministry of Transport to see what they can do with the rail for a better port operation.
0 Comments