NPA staff pledge support for new MD

‎The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Senior Staff Association of Communication, Transportation and Corporation (SSACTAC) has pledged the association’s support for the newly-appointed Managing Director, Ms. Hadiza Usman.

The President of SSACTAC, Mr Benson Adegbeyeni, made the pledge in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.He urged the new management of the NPA‎ to review towage services.

Adegbeyeni said the union was ready to work with the new managing director and to help her succeed as the first female boss to lead the port agency.The unionist pointed out that billions of naira of government’s revenue “are being diverted through this channel’’.He noted that towage service is a core function of the NPA.

That presently, it had been outsourced to a private company in the Lagos area, in Rivers Port and Port Harcourt Port areas, leaving NPA with only Warri and Calabar ports.

In the history of NPA, this is the first time we are having a female as the boss. It is an act of God and we believe she can transform the agency,’’ Adegbeyeni said.

He advised the new NPA boss to be ready to submit herself for learning and to yield to advice from the right quarters.

The SSACTAC boss said that there was need for immediate recruitment of more staffs into the agency as it is currently short-staffed.

We have so many things wrong with the port including the port concession exercise that was carried.

The revenue of NPA is currently going into wrong hands through towage services that have been outsourced to a third party.

Also, terminal operators’ activities are not properly monitored by NPA.

The dilapidated infrastructure are not being replaced and the terminal operators are bringing in sub-standard infrastructure that cannot last for 10 years.

Pilot cutters and tug boats were procured by NPA but they were given to a third party‎ to run the towage services and at the same time, generating 3,600 dollars and paying peanuts of 920 dollars to NPA,’’ he said.

‎Adegbeyeni said that the union had in the last one year told the management of the NPA to increase the towage price charged by NPA but they refused.

We have been on it for the past one year. They want to outsource it to some people.

Again there is no succession plan in NPA. In two years time now, nearly 2,000 NPA workers would leave.Presently, we are short of staff.

We are 14,000 workers but when the concession came, it was reduced to 4, 000 workers and now we are less than 4,000.

Considering the rate of retirement, this year alone, about 130 workers are about to retire. There is no plan for those to take over and train them,’’ he said.

Adegbeyeni said that globally, towage service charges currently is 3,620 dollars, but looking at the Lagos area, NPA had outsourced towage services to a company called- Land Fall & Passa.

He alleged that the company was using NPA infrastructure and manpower, adding that it charged the standard rate as done all over the world and still paid a peanut of 920 dollars to NPA.

We asked for increase in the towage price in Warri and Calabar zones, they refused.

My managing director has a lot to face, but I have promised her that I am going to stay by her, put her through and give our own advice,’’ Adegbeyeni said.

He promised that the union would stand by the new NPA boss to ensure she succeeds as the first female managing director of NPA.