Lagos have drawn attention, once again, to the continuing deterioration of facilities at the complex and the very real possibility of a total collapse of its operations. In interviews with the Nigerian Tribune, the workers who naturally craved anonymity, stressed the need for urgent government intervention, pointing out that some of the quay aprons at the port and even the perimeter fencing of the complex are fast giving way. Noting that nothing has been done to decisively address the situation despite assurances in that regard by the Minister of Transportation, Mr.Muazu Sule, one of the workers said “Some of the terminal operators came with useful suggestions as regards how to go about the repairs of the failed port infrastructure. Many suggestions were tabled but nothing has come of such suggestions. We know nothing can happen between now and next month due to a general election coming up. We however call on the Federal Government to take matters concerning repairs of port infrastructure seriously in order to ensure Nigeria maintains a port that is competitive in the region”.

The concern of the workers is understandable since that is the facility where they earn their livelihoods. But the relevant authorities should be no less disturbed by the degeneration of the port, given the huge revenues that accrue to government from there currently and the even higher amounts that can be generated if the facilities are in top shape. Of course, the story of the Tin Can Port is no different from the scenario in other ports in the country. Thus, the acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr.Mohammed Bello-Koko, speaking at the first retreat for the constituted board of directors of the agency last year, lamented that “We are facing decaying port infrastructure, for example, sections of the quay aprons or walls at Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Onne, Delta and Calabar ports are collapsing and require huge funds to repair them. With the increasing pressure to remit more revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRV) of the Federation, it has become very difficult to have sufficient funds to attend to these decaying facilities, hence the need to explore alternative port service offerings”.

Mr.Bello-Koko noted that while the governments in French-speaking countries of the region fund the dredging of their ports, in Nigeria the responsibility is borne by the NPA with the attendant strain on its resources and capacity to invest in critical port infrastructure. To explore alternative revenue sources and enhance the finance capacity of the NPA, Bello -Koko said the agency’s management is in discussions with multilateral financial institutions such as the French Development Agency (AFD), European Investment Bank (EIB) and Sanlam Infraworks, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) approved fund manager for InfraCorp, to obtain long-term low-interest credit for port infrastructure. Such fund will enable the NPA to maximally tap the potential of some of its assets currently lying fallow. As Bello-Koko said, “NPA has a lot of high value landed properties in Onne, Snake Island and Takwa Bay that are designated free trade zones and mostly allocated but with poor arterial road network and other infrastructure to make them attractive for private investments which would bring good revenue to the authority and the Federal Government”.