Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed on Inspection Tour of Lekki Deep Sea Port
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has described the Lekki Deep Sea Port as a game changer and pacesetter.
The Minister said this after an inspection tour of the deep sea port project in the company of the Executive Secretary of the shippers council, Emmanuel Jime and representatives of the Minister of Transportation and the NPA.
He described the project as the largest seaport in west Africa.
“I called it a game changer because of the impact it will have on the nation’s economy and the jobs it will create, among others. The investment is huge: 1.53 billion dollars on fixed assets and 800 million dollars on construction. But the aggregate impact has been put at 361 billion dollars in 45 years, which will be over 200 times the cost of building it. In addition, it will create 169,972 jobs and bring revenues totalling 201 billion dollars to state and federal governments through taxes, royalties and duties. The direct and induced business revenue impact is estimated at 158 billion dollars, in addition to a qualitative impact on manufacturing, trade and commercial services sector”.
The Minister further said the project which will be completed by September 2022 Will Make Nigeria a hub in Africa.
“Beyond that, when it begins operation in the last quarter of this year, it will make it possible for Nigeria to regain the maritime business that was lost to ports in Togo, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. It is also a big boost to Nigeria in its quest to take advantage of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA)”.
“The facilities here are first class. We have 7 ship to shore cranes and 21 RTG cranes. No port in Nigeria currently has this. The excellent equipment is why this port can do 18,000 teu, which is more than four times the number that can currently be handled by our other ports”.
Speaking on behalf of the major concessionaire of the project CHEC, said Lekki Deep Sea Port will change the economic landscape of Nigeria. He further said after 6 to 7 years of operations, they will embark on phase 2 of the project.
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers council Mr Emmanuel Jime who expressed satisfaction at the pace of work said lessons should be drawn from the APapa port and adequate plans made for evacuation of cargo at the Lekki Deep Sea Port to prevent congestion.
Mr. Onari Brown who spoke on behalf of the NPA gave assurance that they are doing all in their purview to ensure a timely completion of the project.
The project is presently at 89 percent completion nad expected to be operational before the end of the year.
According to Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the project is self sufficient in required electricity and is now ready to generate up to 10 Mega Watts with a total capacity of 16 mega watts.
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