Daily Independent Online.
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Friday, July 02, 2004.
Non-release of fund delays work at
Lilypond Container Terminal
By Walter Ukaegbu
Maritime Correspondent, Lagos
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said that the
unsteady and inconsistent release of funds from the seven per cent Port
Development Levy has been the major cause of delay in the completion of the
flood control and rehabilitation project at the Lilypond Container Terminal,
Ijora, Lagos.
According to the Spokesman, Chris Borha, the
project, which was being handled by DYS Troca Valsesia (DTV) at the cost of
N600 million, began in November 2000, but was abandoned after 70 per cent
completion because of non-release of funds from the Port Development Levy.
Said he: “It is hoped that the early completion
of the rehabilitation project would tremendously ease the difficulties being
experienced by port users at the terminal, especially during successive raining
seasons.”
Appreciating the difficulties experienced by the
terminal users, Borha attributed the initial delay in the completion of the
project to delayed settlement of payments to the contractors, resulting to work
stoppage.
Already, Daily Independent learnt that a meeting between the director of engineering and the
contractors has been held where it was agreed that there was the need for the
contractors to re-mobilise back to the site in view of the significance of the
terminal to the operations of the NPA.
Since the begining of the raining season, operations at the terminal
have been halted a result of bad drainage.
In another development, the Managing Director of the
NPA, Chief Adebayo Sanumi, has joined other senior management staff of the
authority to witness the mock security exercise in search of an improvised
explosive device at the container terminal, Apapa.
The 10-minute operation, which was carried out at the
instance of the recognised security organisation employed by the NPA for the
exercise, involved the identification and division of the search parties into
teams A-D with different areas of responsibility assigned to a team leader.
At the start of the exercise, the entire area such as
the principal security officer’s office, the car park, container terminal
administrative block, the surroundings and generator house were cordoned off
while people were evacuated to a point for safety.
During the search, the leaders of the teams sent
coded messages to the search teams to aid in the operation. All the suspected
areas were combed, and eventually,
the “IED” was found by team C.
Speaking after the exercise, the security consultant
praised the search teams for handling the exercise professionally de- spite its
being their first time and called on them to always put off their walkie-talkie
whenever the “IED” is found in order not to trigger an explosion.
Sarumi called on the search team to replicate the
same exercise at the Tin Can Island Port on a busy day in order to note the
response of people in an emergency situation at the ports.
He disclosed that since there could be more than one
“IED” at any particular time, it was important to make use of dogs,
sniffing the entire area especially the car park.
