The construction of the Lekki Deep Sea Port has reached 50 percent with the completion of the 1,909m long core of the main breakwater while work on the quay wall and landside infrastructure has reached advanced stages.
This significant milestone of the completion of the core of the main breakwater will now allow for other parts of port to be constructed and completed before the end of 2022.
In a statement, Managing Director, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited, Mr. Du Ruogang, disclosed this while briefing the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani and other key stakeholders in the project including the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman; the Director-General, of the Nigerian Maritime Administrative and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr. Bashir Jamoh and the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello during the first quarterly monitoring visit by the Federal Ministry of Transportation to the project site earlier in the week.
Ruogang assured that the construction would be completed as scheduled with a targeted commercial operations date in Q4 2022. He affirmed that the container terminal operator – Lekki Freeport Terminal, a subsidiary of CGM/CMA is ready to commence operations once the construction is completed.
“We would like to appreciate the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Lagos State Government, and NPA as well as other stakeholders for the immense support towards the actualization of this world-class seaport”, he said.
Speaking during the visit, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani stated that it was heart-warming to note that the project is moving at a fast pace, assuring all the promoters and stakeholders that the Federal Government would play its part to ensure the smooth take-off of the Port come the last quarter of 2022.
Ajani noted that the progress of work since the initial visit of the ministry in November 2020, is impressive and that the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Transportation would work out modalities of rail connectivity to the port for easy evacuation and transfer of cargo to the different parts of the country. She also promised to liaise with her counterpart at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on the issue of the road network at the corridor to prevent the issue of congestion. The importance of the railway connectivity was also reiterated by Dr. Jamoh.
Similarly, Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman said that the agency will play its part to ensure that the timeline set for the delivery is achieved, adding that efforts are being made to facilitate the deployment of all necessary infrastructure needed before commercial operations begin.
“To meet the timeline for the Port, we would deploy the control tower as well as the BTS and GDMS which are critical infrastructure needed for the take-off of the port operations. In addition, we have to begin the construction of the administrative block”, Usman said.
Hassan Bello reaffirmed the significance of Lekki Port to the economic prosperity of Nigeria noting that when completed, the port would be transformational for the country, and indeed the West African maritime landscape.