NPA Dissatisfied With Budget Performance

In an unusual culture seen among government agencies, the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi, has expressed dissatisfaction over low performance of the authority’s capital budgets in the last few years, saying it needed to do more as the nation’s port landlord.

Speaking with journalists in Lagos, the new NPA boss said considering the vital role the ports play as gateways to trade and commerce, it was necessary for the authority to deliver on its responsibilities and perform optimally.

Abdullahi, who also expressed federal government’s concern over the trend said the new management of the authority was worried and have vowed to deliver optimally in the areas of port infrastructure development, dredging of the channels, maintenance and acquisition of vital operational equipment such as vessels, pilotage and towage, among others.

 He said, “Considering that the revenues of the authority under the present dispensation are derived from its core arrears of responsibility—the provision of infrastructure and vessel support services—the viability of the ports more than ever before now depend on the level of its infrastructure, which are needed to enhance port capacity.

While calling for synergy between departments, the ports, zonal offices and the management team to enhance port performance and revenue generation, Abdullahi also noted that the operations of the various departments and units of the authority were interrelated and further observed that the input of one department could determine the output of another in the overall duty of the authority.