Bello Koko: After Lekki Deep Seaport, What Next?
BELLO KOKO
By Francis Ugwoke
At last the Lekki Deep Seaport has been inaugurated. It was indeed one of the painstaking efforts of the promoters of national economic development. Specifically, the $1.6 bn project is a joint venture between the federal government which is represented by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos State Government, Tolarams Group (owners of the Lagos Free Zone) and China Harbour Engineering Company. The seaport is run by a French company, CMA CGM Mozart. The Chinese Ambassador had described the deep seaport as simply a model of ‘five parties from four countries’, adding that it was a way of taking advantage of the wisdom and strength of all parties.
President Muhammadu Buhari during the recent commissioning witnessed cargo handling operations performed by the CMA CGM Mozart at the quay side. Buhari who was excited was said to have described the project as simply “a game-changer that would redefine maritime activities in Nigeria and the entire West African sub-region.”
The event was attended by the Governor of Lagos State , Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Transportation Minister, Muazu Sambo, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, chief executives of parastatals under the Ministry of Transport and other dignitaries.
Sanwo Olu in his speech told the President that it was a good development that the project was happening during his administration.
He described the seaport as one in which “the size of the vessels that will berth at the port would be four times the size of vessels that currently berth at Apapa and Tin Can Island Port”.
He said, ”We are excited that in your own time, something fresh has been birthed in this country and it is going to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs.”
Similarly, the Transportation Minister, Sambo, commended the President for his approval to designate the seaport as Customs Port which according to him was contained in the Federal Government Gazette.
He said, ”The very fact that the letter of intent between the proponents of Lekki Deep Seaport and its financial partners was signed as recently as April 2019 and by January 2023 the wide-ranging impact project is already being commissioned is a testament to the tenacity of purpose of the Federal Ministry of Transportation through the Nigerian Ports Authority.
”With Seaports being under the exclusive legislative list, the Nigerian Ports Authority’s provision of a sinking fund for Lekki Deep Seaport Federal Government’s equity contribution gave this project the necessary statutory cover and financial guarantee in line with the law.
”Completing a project of the magnitude and impact of a deep seaport in a record time of 45 months shows the effectiveness of tenacious ministerial supervision, strict regulatory oversight and strong presidential backing.”
The Managing Director, NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko who spoke during the inauguration of the Lekki Deep Sea Port described it as the deepest and most modern port in Nigeria. Bello Koko said the seaport will be receiving bigger vessels and more cargos. The draught of the seaport is about 16.5 meters.
Bello-Koko also added, “Therefore, economics of scale would set in and we believe that the cost of doing business in this country will be lower compared to other countries and it will also provide employment opportunities and it will be more efficient. It will also be a model for other upcoming deep sea ports in Nigeria.”
Lekki deep seaport has 13 quay cranes for a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs on a 1.2 kilometre quay with a depth of 16 meters. It can operate vessels with a capacity of up to 15,000 TEUs and become one of the largest in West Africa.
The Chinese Ambassador, Cui Jianchun, in his goodwill message said the project was a good business model, explaining that four countries, China, Nigeria and Singapore,France were involved in the project.
Expectations
Expectations are high on federal government efforts at linking the seaport with rails. What is certain for now is the deployment of barges for the movement of cargoes. This is following the concern that use of trucks may lead to gridlock in the Lekki area where the seaport is located to the situation as has been the case in the Apapa port area.
However, there are also concerns about the cost implication over the use of barges in the movement of cargoes.
Other Deep Seaports
With the inauguration of the Lekki Deep Seaport, expectations are equally high that attention will now shift to other deep seaports projects. Like Lekki Deep seaport, the NPA will be coordinating development of other deep seaports and other river ports across the country. Some of the seaports include Ibom Deep Seaport being championed by Akwa Ibom State government, Bakassi Deep Seaport by Cross River state government and Badagry Deep seaport by Lagos state government. There are also Bonny Deep Seaport in Rivers and Ondo Deep seaport. There is also the Benin river port being championed by Edo State government. Of course in all, the NPA which is the landlord of the port system remains a strategic partner. Ibom, Bakassi and Badagry deep seaports are age long projects which take off has been slow for perhaps necessary concretization of agreements between partners. Just recently, the Cross State Government said it will still go ahead with the deep seaport project. Similarly, others are still believed to be going ahead with the projects. It is expected that what happens to most of these projects will be clear after the 2023 election. Already, the federal government has inaugurated a committee that will advise it on the Ondo Deep seaport and Edo river port. Members of the steering committee include the Managing Director of NPA; representatives of the Federal Ministries of Finance and Justice; National Inland Waterways; Nigerian Shippers’ Council; Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, among others, according to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani who inaugurated the committee on behalf of the Transportation Minister, Alhaji Muazu Sambo. The committee is to start work immediately, the Perm Sec said.
Benefits of Deep Seaports
Development of seaports in Nigeria has the advantage of boosting the nation’s economy. It will multiply economic and commercial activities in specific areas apart from the revenue being generated for the government. According to the Transport Minister, Sambo., Lekki deep seaport would generate 170,000 jobs when operations commence.
It would be recalled that Bello-Koko had in the past said that the Authority was determined leverage on Nigeria’s status as Africa’s biggest economy to ensure that the country becomes maritime hub status in the West African region. He said this will be through investments in modern deep seaports which in turn would attract very large merchant vessels with the attendant multiple socio-economic benefits. To Bello Koko, this will in turn boost ports revenue performance.
He had at a retreat with the theme “Expanding the Frontiers of Service Excellence” said new direction and measures have been put in place to actualize the aspirations of the NPA.
He said, “Nigeria accounts for about 70 percent of cargoes imported into West and Central Africa and the country controls an impressive stretch of the Atlantic Ocean. Nigeria’s rich aquatic endowments and her border with landlocked nations makes development of deep seaports a huge potential revenue earner for the nation”.
At last the Lekki Deep Seaport has been inaugurated. It was indeed one of the painstaking efforts of the promoters of national economic development. Specifically, the $1.6 bn project is a joint venture between the federal government which is represented by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos State Government, Tolarams Group (owners of the Lagos Free Zone) and China Harbour Engineering Company. The seaport is run by a French company, CMA CGM Mozart. The Chinese Ambassador had described the deep seaport as simply a model of ‘five parties from four countries’, adding that it was a way of taking advantage of the wisdom and strength of all parties.
President Muhammadu Buhari during the recent commissioning witnessed cargo handling operations performed by the CMA CGM Mozart at the quay side. Buhari who was excited was said to have described the project as simply “a game-changer that would redefine maritime activities in Nigeria and the entire West African sub-region.”
The event was attended by the Governor of Lagos State , Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Transportation Minister, Muazu Sambo, Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Cui Jianchun, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mohammed Bello Koko, chief executives of parastatals under the Ministry of Transport and other dignitaries.
Sanwo Olu in his speech told the President that it was a good development that the project was happening during his administration.
He described the seaport as one in which “the size of the vessels that will berth at the port would be four times the size of vessels that currently berth at Apapa and Tin Can Island Port”.
He said, ”We are excited that in your own time, something fresh has been birthed in this country and it is going to generate thousands of direct and indirect jobs.”
Similarly, the Transportation Minister, Sambo, commended the President for his approval to designate the seaport as Customs Port which according to him was contained in the Federal Government Gazette.
He said, ”The very fact that the letter of intent between the proponents of Lekki Deep Seaport and its financial partners was signed as recently as April 2019 and by January 2023 the wide-ranging impact project is already being commissioned is a testament to the tenacity of purpose of the Federal Ministry of Transportation through the Nigerian Ports Authority.
”With Seaports being under the exclusive legislative list, the Nigerian Ports Authority’s provision of a sinking fund for Lekki Deep Seaport Federal Government’s equity contribution gave this project the necessary statutory cover and financial guarantee in line with the law.
”Completing a project of the magnitude and impact of a deep seaport in a record time of 45 months shows the effectiveness of tenacious ministerial supervision, strict regulatory oversight and strong presidential backing.”
The Managing Director, NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko who spoke during the inauguration of the Lekki Deep Sea Port described it as the deepest and most modern port in Nigeria. Bello Koko said the seaport will be receiving bigger vessels and more cargos. The draught of the seaport is about 16.5 meters.
Bello-Koko also added, “Therefore, economics of scale would set in and we believe that the cost of doing business in this country will be lower compared to other countries and it will also provide employment opportunities and it will be more efficient. It will also be a model for other upcoming deep sea ports in Nigeria.”
Lekki deep seaport has 13 quay cranes for a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs on a 1.2 kilometre quay with a depth of 16 meters. It can operate vessels with a capacity of up to 15,000 TEUs and become one of the largest in West Africa.
The Chinese Ambassador, Cui Jianchun, in his goodwill message said the project was a good business model, explaining that four countries, China, Nigeria and Singapore,France were involved in the project.
Expectations
Expectations are high on federal government efforts at linking the seaport with rails. What is certain for now is the deployment of barges for the movement of cargoes. This is following the concern that use of trucks may lead to gridlock in the Lekki area where the seaport is located to the situation as has been the case in the Apapa port area.
However, there are also concerns about the cost implication over the use of barges in the movement of cargoes.
Other Deep Seaports
With the inauguration of the Lekki Deep Seaport, expectations are equally high that attention will now shift to other deep seaports projects. Like Lekki Deep seaport, the NPA will be coordinating development of other deep seaports and other river ports across the country. Some of the seaports include Ibom Deep Seaport being championed by Akwa Ibom State government, Bakassi Deep Seaport by Cross River state government and Badagry Deep seaport by Lagos state government. There are also Bonny Deep Seaport in Rivers and Ondo Deep seaport. There is also the Benin river port being championed by Edo State government. Of course in all, the NPA which is the landlord of the port system remains a strategic partner. Ibom, Bakassi and Badagry deep seaports are age long projects which take off has been slow for perhaps necessary concretization of agreements between partners. Just recently, the Cross State Government said it will still go ahead with the deep seaport project. Similarly, others are still believed to be going ahead with the projects. It is expected that what happens to most of these projects will be clear after the 2023 election. Already, the federal government has inaugurated a committee that will advise it on the Ondo Deep seaport and Edo river port. Members of the steering committee include the Managing Director of NPA; representatives of the Federal Ministries of Finance and Justice; National Inland Waterways; Nigerian Shippers’ Council; Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, among others, according to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Dr Magdalene Ajani who inaugurated the committee on behalf of the Transportation Minister, Alhaji Muazu Sambo. The committee is to start work immediately, the Perm Sec said.
Benefits of Deep Seaports
Development of seaports in Nigeria has the advantage of boosting the nation’s economy. It will multiply economic and commercial activities in specific areas apart from the revenue being generated for the government. According to the Transport Minister, Sambo., Lekki deep seaport would generate 170,000 jobs when operations commence.
It would be recalled that Bello-Koko had in the past said that the Authority was determined leverage on Nigeria’s status as Africa’s biggest economy to ensure that the country becomes maritime hub status in the West African region. He said this will be through investments in modern deep seaports which in turn would attract very large merchant vessels with the attendant multiple socio-economic benefits. To Bello Koko, this will in turn boost ports revenue performance.
He had at a retreat with the theme “Expanding the Frontiers of Service Excellence” said new direction and measures have been put in place to actualize the aspirations of the NPA.
He said, “Nigeria accounts for about 70 percent of cargoes imported into West and Central Africa and the country controls an impressive stretch of the Atlantic Ocean. Nigeria’s rich aquatic endowments and her border with landlocked nations makes development of deep seaports a huge potential revenue earner for the nation”.
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