NPA Senior Staff Kick Against NIPCO Move To Set Up Farm At Dockyard

The Senior Staff Association, Communications Transport and Corporation (SSACTAC) NPA branch has condemned moves by a petroleum product marketing firm; NIPCO Plc to link its facilities to the Waziri jetty, through the construction of a 1.5kilometre petroleum pipeline.

SSACTAC has also raised the alarm over any attempt by the oil and gas firm to establish a tank farm at the popular NPA dockyard facilities, in Apapa which, according to them, has the tendency to impede free flow vessels calling at the ports.

President of the association; Comrade Umar Jimoh Omeiza while briefing journalists in Lagos yesterday described  the move as mischievous and  allegedly being backed by some political interest, who are trying to thwart the effort of the president of the country at enhancing the nation’s maritime sector potentials and capabilities.

Umar also alerted that the move to set up the facility will lead loss of jobs of about 500 persons, in addition to the environmental implications.

He added that, "there will be serious ecological side effect in terms of pollution that will definitely arise from NIPCO Plc activities, even as he  asked: Who bears the brunt, who pays for the destruction and who cleans the waterways?

According to him, the port reforms that are yielding result will be adversely affected in the Lagos pilotage district by the unwarranted exercise of NIPCO. He also stated that it will bring back the era of congestion in the ports.

The SSACTAC top man explained that the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) has dredged the waterways and channels of the Lagos pilotage district to make vessels navigate freely, which has cost the government a huge amount of money.

He said the dredging was beneficial for all concerned maritime stakeholders, including tank farm owners.

Speaking further, the president lamented that, "if these companies at the yard are rendered incapacitated by the activities of NIPCO Plc, there will be loss of jobs of over 500 Nigerians".

"The NPA will definitely not be able to discharge her responsibilities to the concessionaires in terms of piloting in and out of the vessels effectively and efficiently"

"We are the one doing the jobs and we are in a better position to tell the government and people of this nation the real situation of things in the maritime sector", he maintained.

Umar also alleged that the existing tank farms operating at dockyard do not have standard safety standard apparatus.

"The reasons why such  project cannot take place are that ,there exists a pilotage within Lagos ports ,the joint venture company (JVC) handling the pilotage of Lagos district is located at the dockyard, tug boats and dredgers are berthed alongside at the dockyard", he observed.

He said "there is another JVC known as the Continental Shipyard Limited that repair ships and vessels of NPA and other third party jobs and this company repairs the tug boats, dredgers and pilot cutters of NPA with priority preference and at half the cost as compared with charges of others like Niger Dock".

When asked why raising the alarm now when several tank farms have been in existence within the vicinity, Umar maintained that the era of tank farms spring up was during a military junta, adding the nation is now under the new dispensation of democracy.
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