By Amaike Ihuoma Okoronkwo
Owing to the infrastructural upgrading of facilities at the Rivers Ports Complex and the need to ensure that the port serves as port station to other stations within the maritime industry, investors and terminal operators doing business in Rivers Ports have been advised not to shy away from their responsibilities but should synergise with the port management to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
The Manager of Rivers Ports, Mr. Adamu Michael, made this known in Port Harcourt on Tuesday in while addressing journalists.
He said the management of the Rivers Ports have embarked on a serious infrastructural upgrading geared towards attracting more investors and as well restore the dignity of doing business with the port.
According to him the management of the Rivers Ports has engaged the services of experts to upgrade the existing infrastructure for improved conditions of services in the ports.
To this end all port users and terminal operators would be experiencing an improved infrastructure before the end of this year.
He told journalists that he inherited poor infrastructure at his resumption of duty in Port Harcourt and his office has been trying to improve on the existing infrastructure for improved services.
“They have engaged the services of experts to upgrade and by the ending of this year 2022, there would be great difference. In addition, the port channels are also undergoing dredging to have a better accessibility of vessels in the port. The buildings and the business environment were not left out.
“To ensure that the port serves as a port station to other stations in the maritime industry, to increase the revenue base through international trade, and to increase security and attract more investors, we have embarked on upgrading of facilities in the ports.”
Mr. Adamu maintained that there is no how you can have a system that does not have challenges, hence they already know the ports have some challenges but in their way to find lasting solutions, the management has gotten a strategy for sharing intakes on how to upgrade their facilities, beef up their security architecture and do away with miscreants.
“When I reported here, we decided to sanitise the security architecture in the port. There has been the grace to improve on how to ensure that nobody is challenged in the area of security. There is no how you can have a system that does not have challenges but in our simpler way, we have gotten a strategy for sharing intakes on how to do with such miscreants, We as port managers have equally encouraged each other and decided to imbibe our own policies and strategies that can be applied for the management. So as you can see when you came in to the port, Rivers ports, you can see it is taking a new shape and this is where we are heading to. Improved infrastructure, given a very good corporate image, that will attract and give confidence to investors and along the line, we have discovered that improved security in the ports is one of the key issues that have existed in Rivers Ports. The stage where we are now is at an enviable level, what we met and what we have now has improved tremendously.”
Responding to poor funding from the Federal Government, Mr. Adamu opined that funding can never be enough looking at what the ports have to offer but maintained that every approved budget for the Nigerian Ports are properly utilised.
“We generate our own revenue and go to all protocols before utilising them. I wish we have the full right to use our revenue without much protocol, we would meet our needs earlier than we do,” he added.