The Minister of National Planning, Shamsuddeen Usman has commended the operators of the privatized Calabar Ports for running profitably in spite of challenges.
Shamsuddeen Usman who recently led members of the Policy and Monitoring Committee of the National Council on Privatisation on a visit to the Old Calabar Port's new terminals operated by Shoreline Logistics Nigeria Limited, Intels Nigeria and ECM Terminals Limited explained that the purpose of the tour was to investigate the performance status of the privatised ports.
The Minister said, 'Despite difficulties, all the three ports are operating profitably'. He further remarked that when people condemn Nigeria's privatisation process, saying it has been messed up, Nigerians can say confidently that it is not true because we have seen most of the companies performing better than before. He admitted that there are challenges, indicating that it is those challenges that we have come here to see and devise ways of tackling them.
While welcoming the team to their various stations, the representatives of the operating firms enumerated their challenges to include: poor security, shallow draft of the ports and inadequate road networks.
They told the team that the approach of the Calabar Channel is 6.4 metres, whereas the concession agreement required the Federal Government to take the draft to 9.5 metres, a commitment which the Bureau on Public Enterprises had agreed would be achieved at the commencement of business.
Speaking further, the Minister assured the operators that the issue of security is already being handled by the Federal Government; while a dredging management outfit has been set up to handle routine dredging.
Confirming the development, the Executive Director in charge of Marine and Operations at the Nigeria Ports Authority, David Omonibeke stated that the newly established Channel Management Department would soon begin operations towards bringing lasting solutions to the problems associated with dredging.
He added that the recent ban on new tank farms at the Western Ports was already changing the dynamics of investment on the Southern Ports; adding that many tank farms have been built in the region.
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