By Steve Agbota
The China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) has injected $221million into the development of the Lekki Port project and automatically becoming one of the shareholders of the project with 45 years Build, Operate Transfer (BOT) concession period.
Addressing maritime journalists yesterday during a media tour of the project site, Managing Director of Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited (LPLEL), Mr. Du Ruogang, said the injection of $221million makes the company one of the shareholders of the Lekki port project with 52.5 per cent stake.
According to him, CHEC is now one of the shareholders of the Lekki port project following the injection of $221million into the project.
Speaking on the access roads to the port, he hinted that efforts are in place to expand the road network leading to the port and also connect it by rail.
He explained: “With Dangote Refinery just beside us expected to operate with nothing less than 700 trucks, we are optimistic that efforts are in place to expand the road networks and also link the port by rail.
“The road is currently a single lane road network, and we are confident that before port operations commence next year, the road will have been expanded to a two lane highway to accommodate seamless cargo evacuation from the ports while also servicing the cluster of businesses that will spring up around here by next year when the ports become operational.”
He maintained that nobody wants to repeat the problem in Apapa, adding that they are working with the Federal, State government and the Free Trade Zone landlord and Lekki port are all committed towards ensuring that at the right time, everything is put in place.
“It is something that is agitating the minds of everyone. The Ministry of transport is working to ensure that the port is connected to rail. So it is a work in progress. We are assured that they would do what really needs to be done,” he said.