The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has raised the alarm that the Tin-Can Island and the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, are both on the verge of collapse if they are not rehabilitated as soon as possible.
Mr. Mohammed Bello-Koko who is the Managing Director of the NPA made this disclosure during an interview on Television program, which was monitored by Africa Today News, New York, pointed out that he Port of Tin-Can is collapsing, and if nothing is done in the coming years, there will be many problems related towards doing business there.
According to him, also, Escravos, Calabar, and Onne Ports are in need of significant rehabilitation alongside Tin-Can to the tune of $800 million.
He said for the port of Tin-Can, It is not an imminent collapse, but in the next few years, if nothing is done, there will be problems.
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‘We have been managing Tin-Can and doing palliatives and other jobs for some.time now, but it is time we rehabilitate it completely. We also need to rehabilitate some parts of Apapa,’ he added.
Bello-Koko added that the Tin-Can rehabilitation needs to also be done alongside ports in the Niger Delta region from Escravos to Calabar, adding that total costs could rise to $800million.
‘We need to reconstruct the ‘breakwaters’ in Escarvos. It has collapsed for over ten years, and there is a collapsed jetty in Calabar, Warri, Rivers, and Onne. There is no port that does not need reconstruction of some of its facilities. Our estimates are between $560 to $800 million
‘The gap is because if we decide to leave Apapa till much later, we do not need up to $800 million, but if you need to reconstruct Tin-Can, we need that amount,’ he said.
He added that the NPA has increased it’s revenue from N250 billion and N300 billion to N361 billion, revealing that contribution into the Federal Government CRF has increased to N91 billion.