The Minister of Transportation, Alhaji Muazu Sambo has applauded the management of Sifax Group for the strides the conglomerate has made since it started operations in the country.
The minister who is barely two months old in office stated this when he and his entourage visited two of the subsidiaries of the conglomerate in Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos recently.
The two subsidiaries are the Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited and Sifax ICT, Ijora, Apapa.
Apparently elated by what he saw during the visit, Sambo was said to have expressed satisfaction with the operations of the subsidiaries.
Quoting the minister in a statement issued in Lagos and made available to Maritime Bits the conglomerate said: “He was satisfied with us and gave us a thumb up as regards our operations. He also promised that he will continue to make sure that there is adequate support for all our operations”.
While lauding the conglomerate for its socio-economic impact on the nation, he promised to support the company’s businesses in order to contribute more to the economy.
He maintained that it has been adding great value to the Nigerian maritime sector and by extension the economy, and as such, deserves the government’s support.
His words: “I am excited at what your company is doing. You are really doing a great job. I want to assure you that we will look into the issue of concession renewal and make sure that this is wrapped up in no time. All the challenges being faced by your business have been outlined and we have begun consulting relevant agencies to make sure that we tackle them headlong. The maritime sector is dear to my heart and with the right atmosphere it can become the major earner for government. We will make sure that this terminal will operate at maximum capacity in no time”.
While welcoming him to the terminal, the Managing Director, Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited, Mr. John Jenkins noted that the company was committed to exploring the potentials of the maritime sector, adding that SIFAX Group, the parent company, is continually investing in the terminal in order to deliver best value for all customers and grow the industry.
On his part, the Executive Director, Sifax Off Dock Nigeria Limited, Captain Ibraheem Olugbade also highlighted the conglomerate intervention in the maritime sector through the development of various inland container terminals around Tin Can and Apapa Ports.
“We have developed various inland container terminals around Apapa and the most important of them is Sifax Inland Container Terminal, located at Ijora. In the nearest future, we are hoping to receive vessels at this terminal. We move boxes from various terminals to the off docks and also received empty containers too”, he said.
