Port Harcourt -The Port Manager, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Port Harcourt, Mr. Oladele Alabi, says Nigerians have no cause to be complaining of poverty.
He stated this on Friday in Port Harcourt at the AS+A Communications’ Excellence Award
“We should be talking of prosperity and wealth, not poverty.”
Alabi said the country was blessed with vast arable land for all forms of agriculture, saying that many agricultural commodities being imported could be produced locally for export.
The manager said that plantain, banana and pineapple, among others, could be produced in several tons and exported and that such business venture would increase the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Alabi described the NPA as a gateway to the nation’s economy as sea ports remained a blessing to the nation. He also enumerated the ports’ importance both in human resources and to the economy.
He said that although the port had 22,000 workers before 1999, it had scaled down to 4000 due to a Federal Government policy.
Alabi said that 70 per cent of the junior workers were indigenes of the host communities of Niger Delta region while 30 per cent represented the Federal Character policy.
He commended the company for its excellence award, saying that such Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) organisations had benefitted their host community.
The manager listed some of the benefits enjoyed by the communities to include improved quality of life, enhanced relationship, motivated workers, improved productivity, increase in vessel traffic and improved work-place condition.
Alabi, however, said that NPA had embarked on educational programmes in line with its policy on CSR.
Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, representing Delta North Senatorial district and Chairman of the occasion, said that corporate organisations should create good business relationships with their host communities.
The ex-secretary to Delta state government noted that members of communities were increasingly demanding for their rights.
Okowa, who was represented by Mr Lawrence Oshiegbu, a former Commissioner for Environment in Delta state, said that workers’ unions must be encouraged.
He said that companies hoping to be viable in the 21st century should imbibe the spirit of CSR and should not only be interested in profit maximisation.
He said that organisations should be interested in their host communities, pointing out that they should be guided on the control of the environment.
Mrs Anges Shobajo, the Company’s Managing Director, said the year’s award focused on the legislation on CSR as it had been debated by the federal legislators.
Shobajo said that the speakers at the Forum were selected from both public and private sectors to strike a balance.
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