Posted on June 4, 2018
The managing director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala-Usman, says lack of capacity and credibility by contractors is the key reason why the agency terminated the contracts for the dredging of Calabar ports channels.
Testifying before the house joint committees investigating alleged sharp practices and the status of Calabar and Warri ports, Hadiza also disclosed that the termination of Calabar dredging contract with Niger Global Consortium was due to non-performance.
The NPA, MD, further told the investigative committee that Niger global consortium, a group of six dredging companies, abandoned the dredging after collecting the sum of $12 million, which led NPA to petition the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
However, a member of Niger Global Consortium, Udensi Okwara disputed NPA’s claim. He said his company is still owed the sum of $9 million from the dredging activities they have rendered at the Calabar channels through the Niger global consortium.
On the status of Warri and Escravos dredging, the NPA MD said the contract has been awarded and adequate budgetary provisions have been made for it by the federal executive council.
To enable it conduct a comprehensive hearing, the committee requested that NPA submits to it all bidding documents, plans and market survey as it stressed that its mission is to investigate alleged sharp and corrupt practices in award of contracts for the dredging of Calabar and Warri ports channels.
Earlier while declaring the investigative hearing open, the house speaker, Yakubu Dogara, pointed out that the investigative hearing is motivated by motions alleging sharp practices in the dredging of the two ports.
Source: ait
