Hadiza Usman No plan to retrench staff – NPA boss says

Usman, who stated this on Thursday during a tour of Warri Port, described the story of retrenchment as a rumour.

The Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is not planning to retrench staff.

The Managing Director of NPA, Ms Hadiza Usman, who stated this on Thursday during a tour of Warri Port, described the story of retrenchment as a “rumour’’.

Usman said rather than the  NPA  retrenching staff,  management would recruit more staff.

She said that the management had tasked the General Manager, Human Resources, to bring up ideas on succession plan of the organisation.

Usman said  the management has introduced performance-based appraisal whereby every personnel would be appraised based on his or her performance,

The managing director said that the management would take remedial measures so as not to allow ships to be grounded at the Escravos breakwaters due to high siltation.

She suggested that emergency remedial measures should be put in place to ensure that no vessel runs aground at the Escravos breakwaters.

The Port Manager of Warri Port, Mr Simeon Okeke, had highlighted  the dangers posed by the breakwaters and the channels leading to the port due to high siltation.

He said that in the absence of vital buoys, it has become impossible to navigate, adding that a number of times, vessels went aground.

The port manager also lamented that the right vessels were not coming into Warri Port because of the shallow nature of the berths.

Okeke suggested  dredging and mooring of the channels of Warri Port as well as the removal of wrecks.

He said that more manpower should be recruited into the various departments.

The port manager also talked about the problem of encroachment of port land and litigations.

Okeke said there should be a review of port tariffs and restructuring of the port.

“The port needs intensive promotion to give the correct image as well as the complete rehabilitation of the facilities in the port,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quotes him as saying.

The Chairman of the Board of NPA, Mr Emmanuel Adesoye, said that NPA  should carry out Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)  .

Adesoye urged the management to do physical development of the communities around them.

The Chairman, Maritime Workers’ Union, Mr Monday Ihembe, said that the dredging of the Warri Port to accommodate bigger vessels was very important.

“There should be provision of operational vehicles to monitor operations of jetties,’’ NAN quotes Ihembe as saying.

During a courtesy visit by the Management of NPA, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli, urged the Federal Government to make Warri and Koko ports to work so that there would be jobs for the restive youths.

“Employ our youths and restiveness will be a thing of the past.

“Do your best for us so that our youths can be gainfully employed.  Lagos ports are overflowing, while ports here are under-utilised.

"’It is my heartfelt desire that if this is achieved, myself and the whole Warri kingdom will be very grateful,’’  the Ogiame said.

He urged the management to take steps to reward expertise and to absorb local pilots.