Port concessionaires under the aegis of the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria have collectively donated N700m to the Nigerian government to support the country’s effort to curtail the spread of the coronavirus disease.
STOAN chairman, Vicky Haastrup, stated in Lagos on Monday that no effort should be spared towards curtailing the pandemic.
“The world is facing its worst public health crisis in more than 100 years. This fight is not for the federal or state governments alone. The virus is an enemy that all of us must join hands to fight.
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“I wish to commend the government and Nigerian Ports Authority for rising up to the challenges posed by the pandemic, and I pray that very soon, we will all sing songs of victory. Humanity will triumph against this virus,” she said.
According to Haastrup, APM Terminals Apapa Limited donated N150m, ENL Consortium Limited N70m and Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited N10m to the COVID-19 Relief Fund Account at the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited and Tin Can Island Container Terminal, both at the Tin Can Island Port Complex, donated N100mn each.
Port & Cargo Handling Services and Five Star Logistics donated N75m each, while Josepdam Port Services gave N60m.
The STOAN Chairman also said that West Africa Container Terminal, Onne Port in Rivers State donated N50m, while ECM Terminal, Calabar Port, donated N10m.
She said terminal operators also made donations of various Personal Protective Equipment such as face masks, hand gloves, coveralls, hand sanitisers and infrared thermometers to NPA, Nigeria Customs Service and other government agencies at the various ports across the country.
“I wish to thank my colleagues for their support and generosity. The times are hard; shipping and port operations are badly affected by the pandemic, but we cannot close our eyes to the needs of the society, hence we taxed ourselves and made this sacrifice.
“I also wish to thank the Managing Director of NPA, Ms. Hadiza Usman, and other relevant stakeholders for sustaining port operations during this crisis. Operations at the port are crucial to ensuring uninterrupted supply of food, medicine and other essentials to Nigerians.
“We must also reiterate the need to stay safe. We must all take responsibility by following the guidelines and safety measures issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control by maintaining social distancing, washing of hands regularly or using alcohol-based sanitisers as well as avoiding large gatherings,” she said.
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