Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman has expressed concern over snail pace at which the Federal Ministry of Works is moving in rehabilitating the Apapa roads.
Hadiza told journalists at the annual long service and merit award of the agency that the Ministry’s inability to complete the Trailer Park within the Tin Can Island Park has aggravated their operations.
“We believe that the federal government through the Federal Ministry of Works needs to strengthen its capacity around access roads. We have been in discussion on access roads since I assumed office. I think the Federal Ministry of Works needs to do more in ensuring that the road is being rehabilitated. A critical example around the Lagos western port is the incomplete trailer park within the Tin Can Island Park. This is a very critical solution that will greatly assist us.”
The Tin Can Island road is in a terrible condition and a major contribution to the gridlock in Apapa today. Part of the road is completely inaccessible while long queues of trailers is a daily torment to port personnel as well as Lagosians who ply the route.
Bala-Usman stated that the Nigeria Ports Authority has offered to conclude the work required for the trailer park to be functional to the ministry and hope that they will be granted permission.
“The Ministry of Work has been unable to complete that trailer park for years and also unable to conclude on what is required in terms of the Tin Can Island, Oshodi and Oworonsoki roads; we are still unable to get that. For us primarily is for the federal government to show us and indeed commence rehabilitation works for all ports access roads.”
The MD also revealed that the Ministry of Transportation has engaged the services of a consultant to assess the performance of all government agencies in the Maritime Industry.
“We felt the need to introduce the performance audit so the Federal Ministry of Transportation has engaged the consultant to do a performance audit of all government agencies in Maritime Industry. It is to determine how far we have gone and what is it we need to improve upon, audit ourselves and put in new measures and targets to achieve our performance.
“In addition, we have also introduced a performance based appraisal for our personnel, so our personnel will now be evaluated based on their performance, clear key performance indicators will drive our personnel promotion, achievement within our activities,” she added.