From left: Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman presents a plaque to the Vice Chancellor of University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe during a courtesy visit to the MD at the NPA corporate headquarters on Marina, Lagos.

BY FRANCIS EZEM

The Nigerian Ports Authority NPA has said that University of Lagos community deserves to be assisted in the authority’s Corporate Social Responsibility CSR initiatives, but it would be accommodated in the 2018 budget to enable it meet some of the urgent requirements and needs.

Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, who gave this assurance when she received a delegation from the University of Lagos led by the Vice Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, who paid her a courtesy visit her office, said there was urgent need to assist the university given the deplorable condition of its amenities and also considering the fact that it is one of the best in the country.

While expressing the willingness of the authority to assist within its budgetary limitations, she asked the university authority to forward all the necessary details on the projects for analysis and consideration.

The Managing Director pointed out that the authority is desirous of collaborating with the University of Lagos, especially in the area of capacity building for members of staff.

Meanwhile, Professor Ogundipe had while speaking earlier appealed to the management of the authority to assist in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of some dilapidated structures in the College of Medicine and its water supply facilities to engender the provision of portable water for the use of the university community through its CSR initiatives.

The Vice Chancellor had also told the Managing Director that the NPA should take advantage of the maritime programmes presently available in the university for its staffers. He also recommended that the NPA should consider sponsoring a Professorial Chair in the university in addition to sponsoring customised courses under the Institute for Maritime Studies of the university to be specially designed for its members of staff, as done by other maritime agencies in the country.