Following the apparent refusal of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA) to relocate the multi-billion naira Modular floating dockyard to Okerenkoko in Delta State three years after it was acquired by the federal government, a group, the Save Niger Delta Group (SNDG), has threatened to embark on a mass protest to the Agency’s headquarters if it fails to relocate the mammoth dry dockyard before September 30.
It would be recalled that the Modular Floating Dockyard acquired by NIMASA at a cost of over N50 billion and proposed for location in Okerenkoko, Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, has been abandoned in Lagos since 2018.
In a statement titled ‘Mother Of All Protests To Rock NIMASA Head Office Over FG’s Refusal to Relocate Floating Dockyard to Delta’, signed by its acting spokesman, James Ebimene and made available to newsmen, the group vowed to mobilize its members to state a massive but peaceful protest to the Agency’s headquarters in Lagos, should it failed to abide by its demand.
The Floating Dockyard, the group disclosed, was originally proposed for Okerenkoko in Warri South West Local Government of Delta State, adding that locating in Lagos was contrary to the original purpose for which it was acquired by NIMASA.
It read in part: “The floating dock acquired at a whopping sum of N50 billion has remained idle since it arrived the country on June 11, 2018.
“The intention of NIMASA, as at the time the floating dock was acquired, was to deploy it to Okerenkoko in Delta State but they changed the plan and put it on security challenges in the region and the agency decided to situate it in Lagos.
“The dry dockyard, was planned for the Niger Delta to open up the region and make it more viable, including generating employment and training on shipbuilding processes. The benefits of the dock to the region would be immeasurable considering the presence of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State, which is just close by.
“Without further delay, Federal Government should relocate the mega dry dock specifically designed for the region from Lagos waters, where it had been lying unused, to the Niger Delta.
On its readiness for the proposed peaceful mass protest, the group disclosed that it has mobilized its members in the Niger Delta region to storm NIMASA head office in Lagos by September 30, 2021 should the Agency fail to heed their demand.
“We have mobilized all our members across the Niger Delta states to storm NIMASA headquarters in Lagos for a peaceful protest by the end of this month. Enough is enough.
“Okerenkoko floating dock project was duly considered and approved by the Federal Executive Council at its 37th meeting on October 23, 2013, and the approval was conveyed to the Federal Ministry of Transport on October 29, 2013.
“The location of the dry dock in Lagos waters is contrary to the initial approval by the Federal Government for its location in Delta. Therefore, we have mobilized youths and women to relocate to Lagos by the end of this month (September 30) to demand that the dry dock should be moved permanently, installed and commissioned in Delta, considering the contributions of the region to the nation’s economy,” the group noted.
Meanwhile, The New Diplomat learnt that while the dockyard remains idle in the Agency headquarters in Lagos, it has spent thousands of dollars on its maintenance.
