Rep gives reason why Badagry Deep seaport is delayed
The House of Representatives member representing Badagry Federal Constituency, Hon. Babatunde Hunpe at the weekend assured his constituents that the Badagry Deep seaport project is still on course. This is even as he attributed the delay of the project to processes being taken to see to its actualisation.
Hunpe gave the assurance on the sidelines of the presentation of relief materials by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Lagos.
According to him, there are processes being taken to see to the fulfilment of the project but unfortunately, it takes time and thus the delays experienced in the project.
“I want to assure my people that the Badagry Deep Seaport project is on course. When one starts a project, people expect it to come very quickly but there are processes to follow.
“It is because of these processes to be taken that the project is delayed,” he said.
Hunpe noted that the project had been discussed on the floor of the house when the issue of Apapa gridlock was being discussed.
He said that the Badadgry Deep seaport needs to come on board to decongest container traffic at the Apapa port.
“This project has been on since 2016 and I have been working on it for some time now.
“I met the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman on the matter, and we had a long discussion where she disclosed the level that they were, which gave the assurance that the project was coming up.
“I have also seen some steps being taken by the NPA. I was able to see this because I am also a member of the House Committee on Special Duties and so, I have the privilege to know what they are doing,” he said.
On the evacuation of cargoes, Hunpe said that, “The reason the government is repairing the Badagry road is to also serve the Deep Seaport project and the many countries connected by the road to aid the evacuation of cargoes.
“We are appealing to the Federal Government to put more effort to ensure that the road is completed on time,” he said.
The Badagry Deep Seaport project is being executed through a public-private partnership (PPP) overseen by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Lagos State Government as well as private consortium of APM Terminals, Orlean Invest, Oando, Terminal Investment Ltd and Macquarie.
The deep seaport is located in the Gberefun area of Badagry, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, about 55 kilometres west of the Apapa and Tin Can Island Port complexes.
