Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Mohammed Bello-Koko, has said the concrete fencing of Tincan Port is to enforce the usage of the automated access control gate.
He stated this during a tour of the Tincan Port in Lagos, on Friday, to ascertain the level of execution of contracts awarded.
The managing director further said the tour would afford him the opportunity to assess the level of progress on operations at the port, especially in terms of improving sanity and ensuring that only people that should be in the port have access.
“There are individuals that just wake up in the morning and want to come into the port with no business in the port.
“By reducing the number of persons, by restricting entry into the port, we are ensuring that we reduce pilfering and theft, reduce thugs and miscreants into the port.
“Then, it will create an enabling business environment within the port location as referred by the International Ship and Port Facility (ISPS) Code,” Bello-Koko said.
He said he was impressed to see fewer people at the port unlike how it was in the past.
The NPA boss further stated that to safeguard the waterside, security patrol boats had been purchased to increase patrol, in addition to working with the Nigerian Navy within the ports in Lagos, to increase their own patrol.
“We are working with the Nigerian Navy Ship(NNS), Beecroft and there are parts of the port along the waterway that we felt should also be fenced, but we are looking at the best option due to the soft nature of the ground.
“So, if we can’t fence the waterfront what we should do is patrol it, restrict access into the port from the waterside using the patrol boats and surveillance.
“Our security men are up to the task and we will keep giving them all the tools that they need to improve their communication. We will keep improving it and we will buy more patrol boats to ensure the waterfront is also secured,” he said.
On the issue of little islands across the channel around Ogogoro, Tomato island, Bello-Koko the authority was engaging the communities on efforts in cleaning up the area, through community and stakeholders interactions.
“We are also working with the Lagos State Government, we once had the 360 degree operation, which first of all went round to remove all shanties along the port corridor. We went to those islands to ensure residents that do not need to be there, were removed,” he said.
