Kayode ShopekanThe Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) has issued a certificate of compliance for an outline Business Case (OBC) for the operation of the modular floating dockyard acquired by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
Several promises by the past and present leadership of the agency to deploy the facility to productive use have remained unfulfilled.
Acting Director-General of ICRC, Michael Ohtani, led a team of ICRC officers to the NIMASA headquarters in Lagos to present the compliance certificate.
Ohiani said NIMASA’s outline business case for the management of the controversial floating dock was in compliance with the ICRC Act 2005 and the national policy on public-private partnership.
“The project is bankable and sustainable. The Nigerian government will get value for money in the project. The next step is to get the best concessionaire to provide the services and a full business case will be prepared and taken to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval.
“ICRC will continue to manage the process and we hope to conclude the entire process before the end of the year. We will also ensure that the concessionaire does not charge arbitrary fees when it becomes operational. It is a total package we are delivering to Nigerians and we seek their understanding and patience,” he said.
Speaking while receiving the certificate, the Director-General of NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh, described the facility as “a national asset”.
“It is one thing to have the modular dockyard, and another for it to enjoy patronage and be a profitable venture for government. So many funds have been invested in the project and it cannot serve just as a workshop for an institution of learning, as being inferred in some quarters.
“Detailed investigation has also confirmed that the dockyard cannot berth at an area earlier proposed for it. We got approval from our supervising ministry to deploy the asset on a PPP basis and we are working in conjunction with the Nigerian Ports Authority. Our arrangement to utilise facilities at the Continental Shipyard in Apapa is still very much on course,” Jamoh said.
He said the delay in the deployment of the floating dock was because “attention was being paid to details to ensure due diligence, compliance with due process and the eventual durability of the project when it becomes operational”.
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