From Anthony Nwachukwu, Lagos
Port concessionaires under the aegis of the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) have donated the sum of N700 million to the Federal Government in support of the effort to curtail the spread of Coronavirus (Covif-19).
Disclosing this in Lagos Monday, STOAN Chairman, Princess Vicky Haastrup, said that no effort should be spared towards curtailing the pandemic.
According to Haastrup, APM Terminals Apapa Limited, ENL Consortium Limited and Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited (ABTL), all operating at the Lagos Port Complex, Apapa, donated N150 million, N70 million and N10 million respectively to the Covid-19 Relief Fund Account at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Also, operators at the Tin Can Island Port Complex, such as Port and Terminal Multiservices Limited (PTML) and Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) donated N100 million each; Ports & Cargo Handling Services and Five Star Logistics donated N75 million each, while Josepdam Port Services donated N60 million.
Similarly, West Africa Container Terminal (WACT), Onne Port donated N50 million, while ECM Terminal, Calabar Port donated N10 million.
Haastrup stressed that “the world is facing its worst public health crisis in over 100 years. This fight is not for the federal or stateate governments alone. The virus is an enemy that all of us must join hands to fight.”
Commending the government and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for rising to the challenges posed by the pandemic, Haastrup pray that “very soon, we will all sing songs of victory. Nigeria will triumph; humanity will triumph against this virus.”
She disclosed that the terminal operators also donated various personal protective items such as face masks, hand gloves, coveralls, hand sanitisers and infrared thermometers to the NPA, Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other government agencies at the various ports across the country.
Thanking her colleagues for their support and generosity, Haastrup noted that though thehe times are hard, with shipping and port operations also badly affected by the pandemic, “we cannot close our eyes to the needs of the society, hence we tasked ourselves and made this sacrifice.
She further thanked the NPA Managing Director, Ms. Hadiza Bala Usman, and all other relevant stakeholders for sustaining port operations during this crisis.
“Operations at the ports are crucial to ensuring uninterrupted supply of food, medicine and other essentials to Nigerians,” she said.
“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 (NCDC) by maintaining social distancing, washing our hands regularly or using alcohol-based sanitisers and avoiding large gatherings.”
