The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has estimated that the reconstruction and rehabilitation of some of the dilapidated seaports in the country will gulp about $800 million.
Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, who stated this during an interview with newsmen, said collapse on the ports was imminent and that if nothing was done in the next few years, there will be serious problems.
“Our estimate currently is between $560 million and $800 million. Now that gap is because if we decide to leave the Apapa Port to some other time, we do not need $800 million but we need to also reconstruct the Tin Can port, as we are reconstructing other places and so we need about $800 million.
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Speaking further, Bello-Koko said: “The port of Tin Can is collapsing. There is no imminent collapse but in the next few years, if nothing is done, there will be problems. We have been managing it and doing other palliatives but it is time we rehabilitate the Tin Can Port.
“We also need to rehabilitate some parts of Apapa Port. We need to reconstruct the breakwaters in Escravos because it has collapsed for over a decade.”
Bello-Koko, who also pointed out that the authority had increased its revenue to N361 billion from N260 billion, revealed that NPA’s contribution to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) had increased to N91 billion, adding: “And we believe that we will do far better than that this year.”
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