Low business activities at Eastern ports worries NPA board

 Worried by the low business activities at ports in the Eastern region, the members of the governing board of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), has issued a matching order to the authority’s management team to increase volume of businesses transaction in the ports.

Speaking during the board members visit to Rivers port recently to mark the 100 years of existence of Rivers port, Aminu Babba Dan’Agundi, a Board member, tasked the Management of the Eastern ports to device strategies that will attract more Eastern based businessmen to make use of the port.

According to him, the strategy will not only improve port activities but will also increase government revenue drive through the nation’s economic gateway, adding that the Board was determined to reverse the trend of importers’ apathy to using Eastern ports, with the aim of moving the Authority forward.

“Ports in the Eastern region do not enjoy the patronage they deserve despite the fact that majority of the importers are from the region,” he added.

Tony Anenih, chairman of the board, who commended the efforts of the authority’s workforce especially those in the Rivers port for sustaining the port in the last 100 years of its existence, also enjoyed the workers to embrace the new efforts of the Board to move the port industry forward.

The NPA board chairman, who was represented by Florence Ita Giwa, a board member further assured the authority of the board’s determination to make the nation’s seaports world standard in the area of service delivery rendered to port users.

The representative of the managing director of NPA, Habib Abdullahi, executive director, Marine and Operation, David Omonibeke said that the significant of the working tour of the board members was to enable them see the operations of the Authority and to interact with the workers and stakeholders.

He assured that the board will do all within its powers to ensure that the nation’s seaports live up to the expectations of the port users in efficient service delivery and to contribute effectively to the nation’s economic growth.