BY NONYE EKWENUGO
Kaduna
Fresh documents have revealed that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is making moves to cancel legally approved Cargo Survey (CS) contracts awarded in 2019, despite no evidence of poor performance by the contractors.
The contracts, which were awarded for a 10-year period and have so far run for over five years, are due to expire in 2029.
In a letter dated September 2025, the Managing Director of NPA, Abubakar Dantsoho, cited “operational needs and efficiency” as justification for reprocurement of the services. However, insiders say the reasons appear weak, as there has been no record of default or breach by the companies involved.
Industry sources told Newsfactual that the CS firms have significantly improved revenue generation for the Authority through the digitalisation of cargo monitoring processes, faster turnaround time, and enhanced transparency at the ports.
Available documents also show that the NPA did not invite the firms for any discussion nor issue any notice of underperformance before initiating moves to terminate the contracts.
This development comes months after a failed attempt by the Authority to obtain a “No Objection” from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to scrap and re-award the same contracts through selective tendering.
The BPP, in its response, had rejected the request and warned the NPA against abuse of restricted procurement, directing it instead to follow open competitive bidding procedures as provided under the Public Procurement Act, 2007.
However, subsequent correspondences indicate that after sustained pressure, the BPP later approved restricted procurement on some of the contracts — a move that has raised concerns about possible compromise.
Some contractors, who spoke to Daily Trust, described the latest action as an attempt to edge out existing firms and divert the lucrative cargo survey fees to companies linked to influential figures within the system.
“We were never informed about any performance issue. Instead, the delay in payments and procurement uncertainty looks like a deliberate effort to frustrate us,” one contractor said.
Legal and procurement experts have warned that terminating the contracts midway without evidence of breach could expose the government to costly litigations.
Segun Bakare, a maritime analyst, said: “There is already a circular from the Attorney-General of the Federation cautioning MDAs against actions that may lead to avoidable litigations. Cancelling valid contracts without cause clearly falls under that category”.
Civil society groups and industry stakeholders are now urging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to investigate what they described as an attempt to manipulate the contract process.
According to lawyer and transparency advocate, Tolu Adekoya, “The Auditor-General’s Office and anti-corruption agencies should immediately audit the entire cargo survey procurement and payment processes over the last three years. The affected contractors should also be given a platform to present their case publicly”.
Observers say the NPA’s persistent push to cancel and reprocure the contracts, under the guise of operational efficiency, risks weakening Nigeria’s already fragile procurement framework.
“The BPP must resist political pressure and enforce due process,” Adekoya added. Whether it stands firm under this pressure will be the true test of Nigeria’s procurement integrity.”
