NPA Boss harps on port industry development despite COVID-19 *Bala Usman is proactive in handling issues at ports – Says MWUN President-General

NPA Boss harps on port industry development despite COVID-19

*Hadiza Usman is proactive in handling issues at ports – Says MWUN President-General

(By Udeme Clement):

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, has said that the nation’s ports must be functional at all times despite the coronavirus pandemic slowing down activities in various sectors of the economy.

The NPA Boss made this known while speaking on TVC News, yesterday.

She emphasised that the port remains the gateway to Nigeria’s economy, as such, policies needed to enhance its growth and development must be put in place.

She stressed, “COVID-19 is a global pandemic, so we must learn how to work and live with it, because our ports should be active always.”

Speaking further, the NPA Boss pointed out, “It is important that we ensure strict compliance with all safety measures while carrying out our duties in the ports”.

Speaking previously with Financial Business News, the President-General, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, commended the efforts of NPA under the leadership of Bala Usman in keeping the port industry afloat notwithstanding challenges facing the nation’s economy at present.

Comrade Adeyanju enthused, “The current Managing Director of NPA has been very proactive in handling issues in the ports”.

Our Maritime Correspondent also observed that Bala Usman and her management team have been working assiduously to keep the ports active despite coronavirus pandemic causing panic everywhere in the country.

Recall that at the initial stage of coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lock-down of Lagos and other States, Bala Usman with her team visited various terminals, to see how the terminal operators were doing and challenges they encountered in their operations.

The visit by NPA team received wide commendations from maritime stakeholders, who described it as timely and very vital at that critical period of the pandemic.