The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi disclosed that the government paid a private firm $67 million to protect the country’s waterways.
Amaechi noted that prior to the Buhari-led administration, the country’s waterways were protected by “various contractors”.
The minister said, “In a year, like in 2020, they made about $67m, and when you hand over the security of a country to individuals, it becomes very challenging and irresponsible.
“So, the President kindly approved that the Police, Army, Air force and other security agencies should be involved in providing security with the equipment that we have provided.
“Before we came, various contractors were contracted to provide security for oil companies in the waters.
“There was a case between the government and OMSL in which the company provides about three or four boats to the navy and they collected $2,500 per vessel for the first day and $1,500 for about 30 days.
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“I was in the train with the President on that day and noticed that everything had disappeared, even inside the Port that looked like a market place was very well organized. No persons were found loitering about, no trucks. What it shows is that the problem of the seaport is the problem of efficiency.
“I was there the previous evening (last week), and when I came back in the morning, everything had disappeared; if that can happen in one night, it means that the problem is management, nothing else. Do we need to wait for the President to come before we can be efficient?
“What I have done was to have a meeting with the terminal operators, and I told them that they have to contribute to the reconstruction of the Apapa Seaport.
“We must rebuild the Apapa Seaport, taking into cognizance all the issues that we are seeing now that are frustrating the Seaport, like where do you park the trucks, how many trucks are coming into the Seaport at what point in time?
“How can a person come into the seaport who has no business being there? What is he doing at the seaport?
“The seaport is a security area and its not for everybody. Even me, after my tenure as Minister, I’m not entitled to go into the seaport unless I have business there.”
