Buhari’s Gov’t Approves N1.78 billion For NPA Data Centre Upgrade

The Federal Government has approved the release of N1.78 billion to upgrade the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) data centre, Naija News reports.

The Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, confirmed this in a statement made available to newsmen, noting that the ministry got approval for the four memos it presented before the Federal Executive Council (FEC) during its weekly meeting on Wednesday.

“The first to be approved is in respect of the award of contract for the upgrade of the data centre of the Nigerian Ports Authority, its servers, storage, and business continuity at the cost of ₦1,787, 203, 792.65 inclusive of 7.5 per cent value-added tax with a completion period of six months,” the minister said.

Sambo noted that the second memo approved was for a concession of the eastern zone offshore waste reception facility, in line with international conventions and environmental laws signed by Nigeria, which require that offshore wastes generated by ships be disposed of in an organised manner in order to protect biodiversity and human beings.

The Minister expressed optimism that the project would generate $25 million within 20 years when completed, Naija News reports.

Sambo said he obtained a similar approval for the Western and Central zones of the maritime domain of Nigeria for 10 years.

According to him, the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) got approval for the deployment of the modular floating dock acquired by the agency to be managed under a public-private partnership.

“It is going to be managed by a private company that will put in an initial capital investment of $19.5 million for a concession period of 15 years,” the Minister added.

The minister said that when fully established and running; the facility will save Nigeria millions of foreign exchange, adding that the present situation warrants all cabotage vessels operating in Nigeria to go to Benin Republic and Ghana to access their docking services.