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Group warns over take over of ports by
foreigners
By Sunny Igboanugo
metro
editor
Stakeholders at the ports on
Tuesday warned that because Nigerian ports remain part of the national
gateways carrying considerable security implications, its management must
never be left fully in foreign hands.
Against the backdrop of the
move by the Federal Government to privatise the nation�s ports and the
interests already shown by some foreign firms whose financial and
technical muscle could sway their chances of securing the ownership of the
facilities against their less financially endowed Nigerian counterparts,
the stakeholders under a consortium, made up of five companies, raised the
issue of security of the nation as one the government must not gloss
over.
Under a Special Purpose
Vehicle (SPV) for the sole purpose of bidding for the concession of the
Apapa Container Terminal Port, the consortium in a statement on Tuesday
said Nigeria would only be making the same mistake it made in the oil
industry if it allowed Apapa port to be controlled 100 per cent by
foreigners, who are merely interested in their own affairs rather than the
development of the ports and creation of jobs for Nigerians.
The group under the name
Nigerian Ports Holdings, plan to commit $40million (N5.6billion)
immediately they have access to the ports to provide modern facilities of
world class standards, which would also quicken the functions of the port,
eliminate time wasting, corruption as well as make services cheaper for
port users.
Chairman of the consortium,
which would have equal stake of 20 per cent of the bid investment, Eze
Obioha N. Ugoji, told reporters at a press conference in Lagos that the
group decided to come together following the reluctance of the major
international port management companies to enter into joint venture
relationship with their Nigerian counterparts.
He said the interest of the
foreign firms already touted as bidding alongside some Nigerian
pre-qualified firms was much on the Apapa ports because of its relative
calm and the strategic importance to the Gulf of Guinea, where a lot of
crude oil had been discovered recently and which presently account for 25
per cent of the world�s oil basket.
He said the consortium was
still interested in admitting more members and was already talking with
five other Nigerian companies of the pre-qualification list towards
forming a broader spectrum for the bid, adding that the purpose of the
initiative was solely for the bid.
Mr. Obi Ubeku, a
representative of one of the firms told Daily Independent that the only
edge the foreign firms could have on Nigeria was their financial muscles
adding that the companies in the consortium were made of tested hands in
the Nigerian ports, which were very versatile and competent to handle its
operations, adding that the group would manage the ports more efficiently
than the Nigerian Ports Authority, currently operating it.
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