Port Manager, Delta Ports, Warri, Simeon Okeke (left), Group Executive Vice Chairman, SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Sokonte Davies, Director, Ocean and Cargo Terminal Services Limited, Aina Egharevba, and Group Managing Director, SIFAX Group, Adekunle Oyinloye, during the formal handover of the Terminal B of Warri Old Port to Ocean & Cargo Terminal Services Limited in Warri, Delta State
New owners of the Warri Port Terminal B, Ocean and Cargo Terminal Services Limited, have formerly taken possession of the facility after the formal handover by both the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE).
At the ceremony in Warri, NPA Managing Director, Hadiza Bala-Usman, represented by the Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Dr. Sokonte Davies, pledged the agency’s support for the concessionaire, while urging the host-communities to cooperate with the company to enable it operate successfully at the port.
“It is our duty as NPA to achieve an efficient and profitable port management in the country,” a statement by the Corporate Affairs Manager of SIFAX Group, Mr. Muyiwa Akande, quoted Usman to say.
“We are delighted that another milestone is recorded today with this handover to Ocean and Cargo Terminal Services Limited, the winner of the competitive bidding process for the terminal. Be rest assured that NPA will provide the necessary support to help you settle down and operate successfully.
“Let me also use this opportunity to appeal to the host-communities to support this company, because the presence and smooth operations of this new business will greatly impact the local economy around here.”
Likewise, the BPE Director-General, and Director General, Mr. Alex Okoh, who noted that the bidding process was very transparent, and that the best bidder won, urged the concessionaire to abide by the terms of the contract while insisting that the agency would monitor the company’s operations for strict agreement compliance.
According to him, “port constitutes a strategic gateway to the country and the nation’s economic prosperity depends to a large extent on how efficient the maritime industry fares. That is the major reason the industry has received a great attention from this administration.
“We also recognise that port efficiency can best be achieved with private sector involvement. That is why we are delighted that this terminal will soon enjoy the level of efficiency that other concessioned terminals across the country have been exposed to over the years.”
For the Group Executive Vice Chairman, SIFAX Group (the concessionaire’s lead partner), Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, the new business will not only stimulate economic activities in the local communities but also contribute greatly to the country’s economic prosperity.
Similarly, the Group Managing Director of SIFAX Group, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye, assured that the company, based on the pedigree of partners with over three decades of industry knowledge and experience, would run an efficient port that would be a national pride, as it focuses on customer service, investment in human capital and equipment, and relevant partnerships, among others.
