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The newly appointed managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Abubakar Dantsoho, on Monday, said his main goal as the head of the Authority was to reposition the organisation for increased productivity and greater efficiency for improved revenue generation to the authority and country.

Speaking during the inaugural address at the handing-over and taking over of the mantle of leadership at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos, Dantsoho said the Authority under him would rise up to the intense competition from neighbouring countries.

According to him, NPA would work tirelessly to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance the overall user experience in at the nation’s ports.

“As we embark on this journey together, I wish to seize this opportunity to state that our main goal is to reposition the organisation for increased productivity and greater efficiency for improved revenue generation to the Authority and country. We must rise up to the intense competition we face from our neighbors, we must work tirelessly to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance the overall user experience in our ports.

“I am confident that our predetermined objectives can be achieved through our collective efforts, therefore, collaboration and teamwork will be the cornerstone of our success. I challenge you to come with me on this journey. Let me assure you that we will aim to pay closer attention to staff welfare by ensuring timely payment of emoluments, compensations and addressing issues of training & capacity development particularly for deserving employees who add value in their areas of deployment.”

Dantsoho, however, disclosed that he will continue the digital transformation of the Authority and reinforce the current efforts at deploying the Port Community System (PCS).

He further disclosed that the Authority will pay attention to the logistics that surround the arrival of cargoes along the port corridor.

“We will reward hard work and develop leadership for the future stability of the Nigerian Ports Authority. We will continue the digital transformation of the Authority and reinforce the current efforts at deploying the Port Community System (PCS) which we believe is key to our dream of total automation of our processes, thereby eliminating leakages and corruption.

“The current efforts towards infrastructural renewal and development will be enhanced.

“In particular, we will drive, Port Rehabilitation and Modernization, we will pay attention to the logistics that surround the arrival of cargoes along the port corridor, their receipt at the terminals and loading onboard ships in the most efficient way and also cargo evacuation from our ports, Deep sea Ports Development, in order to unlock the full potential of the Nigerian economy.

“Promotion of transparency, accountability and Ease of doing business in our ports, we shall enhance collaboration and communication between sister agencies and promote stakeholder engagement.

“In this regard, we will begin engagement with Terminal Operators and Shipping lines as primary recipients of our services to feel their pulse and thereafter other stakeholders to seek greater cooperation and collaboration,” he stated.

Speaking earlier, the immediate-past managing director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, said his administration repositioned the Authority for greater operational efficiency and unprecedented revenue generation and remittance to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Bello-Koko, who applauded the administration of President Bola Tinubu, said he was able to position the Authority for improved efficiency, revenue generation, accountability, and adherence to international best practices in port management and operations.

“Firstly, by working with all of you here, we have repositioned the Authority for greater operational efficiency and unprecedented revenue generation and remittance to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Secondly, my sense of fulfillment derives from the fact that we have achieved a lot and have made the Authority far better than we met it, and now handing over to a management team of distinguished professionals with the requisite character, competence, and capacity to sustain and indeed surpass the current performance trajectory.

“As most of us are aware, the Authority under the management team I was privileged to lead was able to position the Authority for improved efficiency, revenue generation, accountability, and adherence to international best practices in port management and operations. For us to succeed as a nation, we must learn from the mistakes of others and evaluate their success stories.

“For us, we hit the ground running with the necessary approvals to get the Lekki deep seaport fully operational to retake the lost transit and transshipment cargo, promoted the non-oil export drive of the President by setting up 10 Export Processing Terminals (EPTs), mainstreaming it to the NXP and e-call up system to facilitate exports, and the result is evident in the attainment of a foreign trade surplus, as highlighted in the NBS report for Q1 2024,” Bello-Koko said.

He also stated that the Authority upgraded its Data Center, Servers, Storage, and Business Continuity and also established a data recovery and protection unit with an up-to-date data protection audit certification.

“Digitized staff attendance for accountability and improved productivity, ensured the sustainability and free flow of cargo by clearing the decade-long traffic gridlock menacing the Apapa and Tincan Island port complexes, and its environs.

“Provided aids to navigation such as buoys, fenders, and bollards across all the ports, and also enhanced seaside operations by providing marine crafts, pilot cutters, tugboats, mooring boats, etc to improve port efficiency.

“These led to a reduction in both vessel and truck turn-around times. The vessel TAT went down from an average of 6.5 days to an average of 5 days, while truck TAT went from an average of 10 days to a few hours.

“We recorded an unprecedented growth in revenue generation and remittances to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) from Revenue of N381 billion in 2022 and ₦501 billion in 2023 to N541 billion in the first half of 2024 and remittances to CRF increasing from N93.4 billion in 2022 to N206 billion in 2023 and to N255 billion in the first half of 2024—surpassing our year-on-year total revenue generation and remittances in any year.

“Unprecedented tax remittances to the Federal Government ranging up to N60 billion in the period of my stewardship. We raised the bar higher. Our hope and prayers are for the new management to continue on this trajectory and surpass it,” he stated.