By Zaveshe Ofeii
The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, has expressed displeasure of how contractors and individuals can be contracted by government to provide security for oil companies on the deep waters, even as the contractor pocketed about $67 million in 2020.
Amaechi made the disclosure while speaking in a TV station monitored in Abuja on Monday, he said: “Before we came, various contractors were contracted to provide security for oil companies in the water.
“There was a case between the government and OMSL in which the company provides about 3 or 4 boats to the Navy and they collect $2500 per vessel for the first day and $1500 for about 30 days.
“In a year, like in 2020 they made about $67 million, and when you hand over the security of a country to individuals, it becomes very challenging and irresponsible.”
Amaechi, expressed delight that the ministry will partner with the Customs, and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to solve the problem, adding that freighting of cargoes from the Seaport through the rail, when it begins, will also help in arresting the situation at the Port.
He said: “We are going to partner with customs because they are largely involved. Between them and the NPA, they are the operators (or regulators) of the Seaport, and see how to arrest this situation. I believe that when we begin to freight cargoes from the seaport through the rail, we’ll reduce some of the challenges that we have at the seaport.”
On the recently launched Deep Blue Project being overseen by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, he said the project will not only boost security in the country’s waters, but will also improve trade in the Gulf of Guinea and reduce cost of production for the Oil industry, while improving revenue for Nigeria’s economy.
So, the President kindly approved that the Police, Army, Air force and other security agencies should be involved in providing security with the equipment that we have provided.
He also acknowledged that the problem with the Seaport is efficiency, even as he urged terminal operators to contribute to the total reconstruction and reorganization of the Apapa Seaport.
“I was in the train with the President on that day and noticed that everything had disappeared, even inside the Port that looked like a market place was very well organized, no persons were found loitering about, no trucks.
“What it shows is that the problem of the Seaport is the problem of efficiency. If they had the capacity in just one night, because I was there the previous evening, and when I came back in the morning, everything had disappeared; If that can happen in one night, it means that the problem is management, nothing else. Do we need to wait for the President to come before we can be efficient?” Amaechi queried.
“What I’ve done, was to have a meeting with the terminal operators, and I told them that they have to contribute to the reconstruction of the Apapa Seaport.
“We must rebuild the Apapa Seaport, taking into cognizance all the issues that we are seeing now that is frustrating the Seaport, like where do you park the trucks, how many trucks are coming into the Seaport at what point in time? How can a person come into the seaport who has no business being there, what is he doing at the Seaport? The Seaport is a security area and it’s not for everybody, even me, after my tenure as Minister, I’m not entitled to go into the Seaport unless I have business in the seaport.” he added.