The managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, has explained how the nation had been losing hundreds of billions of naira to Ocean Marine Services Limited (OMSL) in the contract for the Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) in Lagos, which according to the agency necessitated the recent termination of the contract.
Giving reasons for the termination of the contract, the NPA boss at an event in Lagos recently said it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to provide security for anybody doing business in the country, while assuring that the government has been working very hard to secure the waters.
Usman, who was represented at the event by the executive director Marine and Operations, Dr. Sokonte Davies, said every ship that calls at the SAA pays a minimum of $2500 for the first day and pays between $1500-2000 every other day.
According to the NPA MD, “The Federal Government is taking it as a responsibility to provide security on the waters. You see, any vessel that is coming to Nigeria’s territorial waters to do business does not need to pay to be secured.
“That is why we don’t know what type of agreement the Nigerian Navy will have with some people to provide security and people pay to be secured.
“It was like a rumour to so many people but it is true. Some of you should be aware that every vessel that calls on the Nigerian waters that stays in that so-called SAA pays $2500 for the first day and every other day pays between $1500-2000.
“Just multiply that with the number of years they have operated and the number of vessels that have called, you will find out that we are talking about hundreds of billions of naira. Where do these monies go to? Who takes it? It certainly does not come to the NPA.”