By Folasade Folarin
Abuja – Dr Vincent Akpotaire, the Acting Director- General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) says the Federal Government is losing huge revenue due to non-dredging of the Calabar port channel.
A statement issued by Mr Alex Okoh, Head, Public Communications of BPE in Abuja on Monday, noted that Akpotaire said this at the post-privatisation monitoring of terminal operators in Calabar port.
Akpotaire was represented by Mr Joseph Anichebe, the Director, Post-Privatisation Monitoring Department of BPE.
He said that the non-dredging of the channel had prevented vessels from coming into the Calabar port.
The BPE boss said all the terminal operators complained that the non-dredging of the channel had led to a lull in their operations.
He said that the situation which also led to a huge loss of revenue to the operators and the Federal Government ought to be addressed urgently.
Akpotaire said that the BPE would immediately do a report on its assessment and present it to the Federal Government for quick intervention.
He said that the dredging of the Calabar channel, which commenced sometime ago was suddenly stopped.
Akpotaire said that though the BPE was not a party to the contract for the dredging of the Calabar channel, it would intervene to ensure that the Federal Government dredged the port.
He said dredging was part of the concession agreement signed by the Federal Government with the terminal operators.
“We have interacted with port operators who told us why the port is not performing as expected and they have given the Bureau an avalanche of reasons why the port is not performing.
“The major challenge they say is the non-dredging of the Calabar channel.
“We are expecting the draught to be deepened but as it is now, no big or container-laden vessel can come into the port,’’ Akpotaire said.
The BPE boss said “if the port is dredged, imports and exports would thrive’’.
According to him, if ships cannot come in here, there cannot be exports through this port.
He said the Calabar port was very central to the North-East, North-Central, South-East and South-South regions of the countr
.
Akpotaire said that Calabar port should be patronised by shippers from Nnewi, Onitsha and Aba, saying that Calabar port should be the hub.
He wondered why there was high importation of goods through Lagos ports only.
The BPE boss stressed the need for shippers to patronise Calabar port to ease their sufferings.
The Calabar Port was concessioned to Intels, Ecomarine and Shoreline Logistics in 2006.
In 2013, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) appointed a Channel Manager- Calabar Channel Management (CCM) in 2013.
CCM started dredging the Calabar Port channel in 2014 but stopped.
