The National Assembly has pledged to support the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in its efforts to replace damaged infrastructures from recent attack and vandalism by hoodlums.
This was after a visit by a delegation of the National Assembly to assess the extent of the damage on the Lagos head office of the NPA.
The NPA Managing Director, Hadiza Bala-Usman, conducted the House Chairman on Ports and Harbours, Garba Muhammad and Vice Chairman of Senate Committee on Marine Transport, Tolulope Odebiyi, on a post-disaster assessment tour of the building on Thursday.
The legislators pledged to support NPA to accommodate the cost of repairs and replacements as well as certain aspects which insurance could not cover.
Muhammad commiserated with the management of NPA, stressing that the National Assembly would assist the authority in rebuilding.
He said, “As a National Assembly, we are here to cooperate with the NPA, assist them in the legislature to rebuild this building and that is our primary reason for coming here and we have seen the damages.
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“We have advised the NPA management to adjust it’s 2020 budget and include cost for the repairs which we shall consider.” he said.
He added, “We are also aware that some of the critical infrastructure and vehicles are insured. We know the insurance company cannot pay for the whole damages.”
Hadiza Bala Usman told reporters that actual cost of damage done to the NPA headquarters building is yet to be fully ascertained as insurance companies concerned with the facility are still evaluating actual cost from the damage and theft.
She added that insurance firms are not expected to bear the full cost of the damage to the building and other properties of NPA.
The building was attacked and set on fire by yet to be identified persons on October 21, 2020.
