Contractor hands over completed $1.5bn Lekki port, Lagos okays six-lane access road

The construction of $1.5bn Lekki deep seaport has been completed and the facility handed over by the contractor, China Harbours, to the promoters.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the handover ceremony on Monday promised to expand the roads leading to the port to six lanes to ensure a seamless evacuation of cargoes from the port.

Sanwo-Olu also said that the port would make Nigeria a hub in the entire sub-region.

Sanwo-Olu said, ”We will stop at nothing to complete the roads leading to the port, all the shanties along the road will be cleared to give way for the expansion of the roads.

“With the port completed and a projected 1.2 million TEUs, Lagos has become a maritime hub.”

Chairman of the Board of port, Mr Abiodun Dabiri, said that the Lekki port would deliver on its promise to make Nigeria a hub in the sub-region.

Dabiri also said that the board was pleased  to celebrate the completion of construction of the port and the effective handover of the facilities by the contractor, China Harbour Engineering LFTZ Enterprise (CHELE), a subsidiary of China Harbour Engineering Company.

He said, “It has been a long journey of many steps. Starting from the time when Tolaram led by Pa Mohan Aswani sought to develop a deep seaport for the benefit of the Lagos Free Zone, and indeed all of Lagos State and Nigeria, to getting a concession from the Nigerian Ports Authority for a unique private public partnership port; getting a loan facility from China Development Bank to the infusion of equity capital in the sum of $221m by China Harbour Engineering Company to the start of construction in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic. It has indeed been a journey.”