The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) says it is committed to the timely completion and successful take-off of the Ibom deep seaport in Akwa Ibom.
The Managing Director of NPA, Malam Habib Abdullahi, gave the assurance in Lagos while receiving a copy of the final Outline Business Case (OBC) of the project from the Ministerial Project Development and Steering Committee.
A statement issued on Friday by the Public Affairs Department of the NPA quoted Abdullahi as saying that the success of the project would be beneficial to the NPA just as the Onne Port project, “since the NPA is a stakeholder and the technical regulator.’’
It said that the managing director appreciated the efforts of the committee and commended Gov. Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom for initiating the project considering its economic potential to the state and the nation at large.
The statement said Abdullahi encouraged other states to emulate Akwa Ibom by initiating projects to empower their people and improve their local economy.
It also said that the Federal Government had been encouraging state governments to invest in the maritime sector under Public Private Partnership arrangement.
The statement said the NPA was also involved in other proposed deep seaport projects including the Lekki deep seaport, the Badagry deep seaport and Olokola deep seaport.
According to the statement, the Secretary of the Committee, Malam Dikko Bala, had expressed appreciation for the support and commitment of NPA toward the project.
Over 20 local and foreign investors had indicated interest in the project which would be executed under the Long Term Amortisation Scheme (LTAS), the statement quoted Bala as saying.
The statement noted that the committee’s secretary commended the management of NPA for funding 50 per cent of the bill of the Project Development and Steering Committee (PDSC) from inception to date.
It said the highlight of the occasion was the presentation of the copy of the OBC to Abdullahi by Mrs Aisha Achimugu, the Managing Director of Felak Concept Ltd., the consulting firm. (NAN)
Source : Leadership