Buhari’s visit will ensure timely completion of Lekki deep seaport- Amaechi

Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has said that the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to the Lekki deep seaport is an assurance of his administration’s commitment and support to ensure the timely delivery of the port.

The Minister who stated this while responding to questions from the journalists shortly after the visit of the President to the port located at the Lagos Free Zone, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, on Tuesday, said President Buhari is delighted at the pace of the construction work on the Lekki deep seaport.

The President was received at the port site by top management of the promoters of the project – Lekki Port LFZ Enterprises Limited (LPLEL) led by the Chairman of the board, Mr. Biodun Dabiri; Director, Alhaji Olabode Oyedele; the Managing Director, Du Ruogang; Managing Director – Africa, Tolaram, Mr. Haresh Aswani and the former Chairman of the company and former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Chief Joseph Sanusi among others.

During the tour, President Muhammadu Buhari commended the efforts of the Minister towards making the Lekki deep seaport a reality and directed him to consult and bring up a memorandum to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to link the facility with the railway network.

Amaechi explained further that he is confident that the commencement of operation of Lekki Port would strengthen Nigeria’s maritime sector to meet the ever-growing demands for goods transported by sea and will also position the maritime hub for the West African sub-region and even up to the Central African Republic.

“I can confirm that President Muhammadu Buhari is delighted with the progress of work done on the project, I am also happy, and I am sure everyone is happy that the project is going on as scheduled, and we are looking forward to the official commissioning and commencement of operations,” said Amaechi.

The President was accompanied on the visit by top government functionaries, captains of industries, including the Governor of Lagos, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governors of Ekiti, Cross Rivers Kastina, Bauchi, Borno, Yobe, Kano, Plateau, and Nasarrawa, amongst others.

Some of the other dignitaries include the former Governor of Lagos, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Chairman and CEO, Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; the Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnibe Mamora; Minister of Industry, Cooperative and Commerce, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Magdalene Ajani; the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Muhammad Bello-Koko; the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) amongst other heads of agencies and dignitaries.

Also speaking during the visit, the Chief Executive Officer, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, Mr. Du Ruogang, expressed the profound appreciation of the company to the President for the visit and the immense support the project has received since its inception, stating that the team remains committed to delivering the project as scheduled.

Ruogang further assured that the company is working round the clock to complete the construction as scheduled by September to ensure that commercial operations commence by the fourth quarter of 2022.

“We are indeed very pleased and grateful to His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari for the visit to Lekki Port today; this day will remain a memorable one in the history of this Port, we sincerely thank the President and all the dignitaries that accompanied here today even as we look forward to having them soon for the official commissioning,” he said.

Also speaking during the visit, the Managing Director of Lekki Freeport Terminal, the terminal operator for the port, Mr Denrick Moos, assured that the port operation would be a world-class and efficient one leveraging technology in the automation of its processes.

Moos commended both the promoters and partners of the project including Tolaram and China Harbour Engineering Company for their commitment towards the timely delivery of the project ahead of operational readiness.

Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello-Koko explained that the Lekki deep seaport would be ready for a test run in September this year after which the first commercial visit can be received at the port.

He said, “The port is located on about 90 hectares of land, and is supposed to have three container terminals and will be the first automated port in Nigeria that will enable the speedy clearing of goods.

“The commencement of Lekki Port will reduce the rate of traffic at Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports as there will be Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes that will enable faster processing of goods.

“Some of the businesses we have lost to other neighbouring West African countries due to draught limitation will be regained. There will be employment creation and increased revenue for the government. It will create competition and compel other terminal operators to up their games to reduce cargo dwell time at their terminals.

“Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports have been operating far beyond their capacity which means that the excess cargoes that have been going there would be diverted to Lekki Port.”