HeadlinesMaritime Business Rep member admits delay in flag-off of Badagry deep seaport By maritimemag July 27, 2021 ShareTweet 0 Abiola Seun A member representing Badagry Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Babatunde Hunpe has admitted delay in the flag-off of construction of Badagry Deep Seaport, saying it’s necessary. Recall that despite several assurances, the promoters of the Badagry Deep Seaport project are yet to commence foundation-laying of the project, thereby creating anxiety among maritime stakeholders and host communities. The project is being executed through a public-private partnership (PPP) overseen by the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment, Lagos State Government as well as private consortium of APM Terminals, Orlean Invest, Oando, Terminal Investment Ltd and Macquarie. But Hunpe, over the weekend while speaking on the sidelines of the presentation of relief materials by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Lagos, attributed the delay of the project to processes being taken to see to its actualisation of the project. According to him, there are processes being taken to see to the fulfilment of the project but unfortunately, it takes time and thus the delays experienced in the project. “I want to assure my people that the Badagry Deep Seaport project is on course. When one starts a project, people expect it to come very quickly but there are processes to follow. “It is because of these processes to be taken that the project is delayed,” he said. Hunpe noted that the project had been discussed on the floor of the house during the Apapa gridlock crisis.” He said that the Badadgry Deep seaport needed to come on board to decongest container traffic at the Apapa port. “This project has been on since 2016 and I have been working on it for some time now.“I met the former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman on the matter, and we had a long discussion where she disclosed the level that they were, which gave the assurance that the project was coming up. “I have also seen some steps being taken by the NPA. I was able to see this because I am also a member of the House Committee on Special Duties and so, I have the privilege to know what they are doing,” he said. On the evacuation of cargoes, Hunpe said, “the reason the government is repairing the Badagry road is to also serve the Deep Seaport project and the many countries connected by the road to aid the evacuation of cargoes. “We are appealing to the Federal Government to put more effort to ensure that the road is completed on time,” he said.The deep seaport is located in the Gberefun area of Badagry, along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway, about 55 kilometres west of the Apapa and Tin Can Island Port complexes © 2021, maritimemag. All rights reserved.
