Stakeholders in Nigeria’s maritime industry have cautioned the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) against alleged plans to cancel Cargo Survey (CS) contracts legally awarded in 2019 for a 10-year duration, which are expected to run until 2029.
According to the stakeholders, acting under the aegis of the Maritime Integrity Movement, the move by the NPA to terminate the contracts midstream — despite no evidence of breach or non-performance — could expose the federal government to costly litigations and damages.
A letter dated September 2025, signed by the NPA Managing Director, Abubakar Dantsoho, reportedly cited “operational needs and efficiency” as justification for the planned cancellation. However, industry players insist the affected firms have fully met their contractual obligations.
Speaking through a statement, Lucky Abegunde, Convener of the Maritime Integrity Movement, condemned the action, saying the NPA neither engaged the affected contractors in discussions nor accused them of any performance failure before initiating the termination process.
Abegunde disclosed that this was not the first time the NPA had made attempts to scrap the Cargo Survey agreements, recalling that the agency had earlier written to the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) seeking a “No Objection” to re-procure the services through selective tendering.
According to him:
“The BPP rejected the request, warning against abuse of restricted procurement and directing the NPA to embrace open competitive bidding in line with the Public Procurement Act, 2007. However, after sustained pressure, the BPP later approved restricted procurement on some contracts linked to cronies of the NPA leadership.”
The group further accused the NPA of deliberately withholding invoices and creating procurement uncertainties to frustrate existing contract holders, describing the move as a “calculated attempt” to weaken legitimate businesses for the benefit of politically connected firms.
The Maritime Integrity Movement warned that terminating contracts without lawful justification would not only erode investor confidence in the Nigerian maritime sector but also burden the federal government with avoidable legal and financial liabilities.
In addition, the group urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate what it termed “a fraudulent attempt to cancel and reallocate the Cargo Survey contracts.”
The statement concluded by calling for transparency, accountability, and strict adherence to procurement laws, emphasizing that policy inconsistencies and political interference would only undermine Nigeria’s drive toward maritime reform and global competitiveness.
