BY GODWIN OBI
The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Ports and Harbour to investigate the contracts for the dredging of the Calabar seaport in Cross River State awarded in 2006 and 2014.
The committee is to determine why the contracts were abandoned by the contractors and report within four weeks for further legislative action.
The Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy was also urged by the House to re-award the dredging of the port to a reputable company with a mandate to complete the project within a specific time frame.
The House also urged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to supervise the project to ensure a standard depth is established to enable larger vessels to berth in line with best global practices.
These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled: “Need to Complete the Abandoned Dredging of the Calabar Seaport” sponsored by some reps including Alex Egbona, Abang Victor Bassey, Akiba Ekpenyong, Michael Etaba, Bassey Joseph, Godwin Offiong, Inyang Emil and Peter Akpanke.
The sponsors are all the members of the House from Cross River State.
The House noted that the Calabar port is the oldest in Nigeria shipping goods such as palm oil to Europe and other parts of the world as far back as the sixteenth century.
It also noted that the port was privately administered and operated by various shipping companies, including John Holt until December 1969 when the Federal Government took over the facility from the erstwhile operators and vested them in the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
It further noted that the modernisation and expansion of the port complex were embarked upon under the 3rd National Development Plan of 1975–1980 and commissioned by General Olusegun Obasanjo on 9 June 1979.
The House recalled that the refurbishment generated a considerable level of attention and activity, but for obvious reasons not unconnected to sabotage, the usage of the port did not last and has failed to live up to its full potential over time.
The House said it was aware that there have been diverse government proclamations on the dredging of the port dating back to the regimes of General Ibrahim Babangida and General Sani Abacha, but no tangible work has been done to rehabilitate the port.
It said it was also aware that in 2006, President Obasanjo awarded $56 million dredging contracts to Dutch companies Jan De Nul and Van Oord, but both companies absconded without completing the task, leaving the port in a severe state.
It said it was further aware that in 2014, the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, with a renewed sense of optimism, initiated Calabar Channel Management (CCM), a joint venture company between the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and a consortium of companies led by Niger Global Engineering and Technical Company Limited with a mandate to dredge the port.
The House expressed concerns that CCM was reported to have commenced work on the dredging, the current reality is that the port is yet to be dredged.
It argued that completion of the Calabar port would decongest the Lagos ports and reduce the hardship of waiting longer hours to clear goods.
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2024-06-05