Intels and businesses close to it have invested $8.1 billion (N.8trn) in Nigerian ports in the past 10 years, the company has disclosed. The company has also remitted $176.1 million (N35.2bn) to the Federal Government’s coffers within the same period.
Intels Nigeria Limited is a leading industry player, core logistics services provider, and concessionaire of Onne, Warri, Calabar oil and gas free zones.
These were made known at a presentation made by Marko Miskovic, the company’s assistant general manager, during the visit Senior Staff Association on Communication, Transport and Corporation (SSACTAC), led by its national president-general, Mohammed Yunusa.
Miskovic said the investments and remittances were pursuant to its concession agreement with the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), which now stands at $3.6 billion (N720bn), while investments made by it directly or facilitated through other private investments including future commitments now stand at $4.5 billion (N900bn), totalling $8.1 billion.
The company reaffirmed its commitment to the concession deal and disclosed how it paid the sums of N35.2 billion to the Federal Government through the NPA and Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), covering commencement, port lease, cargo throughput and land industrial area fees.
According to Miskovic, the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone is so far housing 150 multi-national investors that have created jobs for 60,000 employees. Intels alone accounts for 6,000 direct and 10,000 indirect employees from 1998 to 2016, without cutting down on jobs despite the current downturn in the economy.
One of the major challenges facing Intels is diversion of oil and gas-related cargo revenue to non-designated terminals. This sharp practice is said to pose a huge threat to the company with clear negative effects on Federal Government revenue profile. It is believed that the fate of the numerous employees may hang in the balance, if this trend is not tackled.
Confirming this threat, the assistant general manager and his team that received the SSACTAC group said the Guaranteed Minimum Tonnage (GMT) target as provided in the concession agreement was being threatened with the illegal diversion of cargo to non-designated facilities, while some private jetties were also said to be receiving and discharging cargos from ocean-going vessels. They talked about ‘midstream discharges’ and lack of broadband telecommunication facilities in the free zone.
Total huge investment and revenue being generated and employment profile of Intels appeared to be a tip of the iceberg, as the SSACTAC team was taken out further on facility tour of the oil and gas free zone.
They visited an International Women Empowerment Project Scheme Synergy (WEPSS), a factory that trains and empowers Intels host communities women in the art of specialised tailoring skills realised in 2013, as a Rosi Volpi initiative for women empowerment with the aim of empowering 5,000 women over a 20-year period.
The training manager of the Centre, Abhina Ajmani, disclosed that 300 rural women ranging from 17 to 65 years were trained for nine months on high-speed sewing machines to provide employment opportunities.
She said 300 such trained women have been retained as factory hands in a 5,000 Sqm garment manufacturing factory in the Federal Lighter Terminal (FLT) Onne, pointing out that the Centre conforms to international standards and that for every 1000 pieces of WEPSS products one orders, 50 less-privileged children would be given a free apparel manufactured by WEPSS on one’s behalf.
The SSACTAC President-General (Yunusa) and his team also witnessed the Onne Port Multi Centre (OPMC) splashed by Orlean Invest West Africa Limited (the parent cpmpany of Intels) which comprises a restaurant with accommodation capacity of 750 persons, VIP of 150 seats, and a lounge bar of 100 persons sitting on a 900 Sqm.
The camp facilities also include 2,364 serviced apartments, luxury residence apartment complex of 108 rooms, a Conference Centre with 1,200 seats, Onne residence with 81 standard rooms, presidential suits with international facilities with hi-tech security facilities.
The President-General who commended INTELS management for their high level of infrastructural and human capital development said his visit to the free zone with his team was to keep their social partnership with the management and to associate with the company’s productivity and labour aimed at leveraging on each other to solve mutual problems.
Yunusa who noted all the challenges facing the INTELS management as earlier enumerated attributed them to government political intervention counter to the port concession agreement with government agencies and concessionaires with their different levels of operations.
He expressed readiness of SSACTAC as a branch labour body of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to go into its trenches to resist the destruction of the progress made by Nigeria so far in the oil and gas designated free zone ports.
The SSACTAC boss, however, made passionate appeal to the Intels management to always see to the needs of the employees who are members of the organized labour body, emphasizing that prompt payment of their wages or allowances would preserve industrial peace and bond between them and the company.
Ignatius Chukwu & Godwin Egba
