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The Maritime Energy Media Practitioners of Nigeria (MEMPON) has called on the Federal Government to quickly intervene in the ongoing rift between the Nigeria Ports Authority and one of the operators at the ports, the Intels Nigeria Ltd, to save likely job and revenue losses.
The media practitioners on Tuesday in Port Harcourt expressed concern that if NPA insists on the termination of the pilotage, monitoring and supervision contract managed by Intels for 17 years now, the country would incur huge losses in jobs and revenue.
The president of MEMPON, Ambassador (Dr.) Ralph John, while reacting to the impasse called on President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into the matter and find a common ground to resolve the matter in order not to jeopardize the interest of Nigerian workers in the Intels establishment, adding that government should ascertain where the relationship got soured and rectify it.
“Intels recently dropped over One Thousand Five hundred staff which means that if the recent contract termination there is allowed to stand the possibility is that more workers will lose their jobs,” he stated.
Ambassador John argued that though the NPA managing director, Hadiza Bala -Usman explained that a new company would take over the contract and staff, but considering the Nigerian environment that might not be easily achieved with the desired results.
“If you look at the multiplier effect of the job losses in fact, there is therefore, need for President Muhammadu Buhari to wade into the matter. The reason is that government policies ought to be people oriented.
“While government is doing everything in its powers to create jobs, it should not on the other hand throw people out of job”, he stated.
The MEMPON president said that government might be right in say ing that the contract should not have been entered into from the onset, but by that time the government found it necessary because of the need to generate revenue.
He therefore urged Intels management to always see itself as being within the system and respect authorities and government, pointing out that Usman’s grouse might be that several attempts to get the company to comply with government directives were not heeded to.
“The issue should not be allowed to linger,” Ambassador John advised, considering the huge investment Intels has made in Nigeria; particularly in the oil and gas industry.
He stated; “most of the places developed and workable today at the Oil and Gas Free Zones were developed by Intels with the cooperation of Nigerian Ports Authority. Those places were swamps and today they are motorable and businesses can be done in them.
“We should not scare away investors by the kind of decisions we take. That is not to say that companies must not submit themselves to authorities and government.
It may affect Nigeria economically if Intels decides to withdraw its activities and look to nearby countries that are oil and gas inclined.” Ambassador John warned.
