The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has dismissed allegations of multi-billion-naira corruption purportedly going on in the authority, describing them as false and being peddled by mischief makers.

The General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communication of NPA, Ikechukwu Onyemekara, in a statement while clarifying all the issues raised stated that the budget and expenditure of the NPA are subject to the strict supervision of the Ministry of Marine & Blue Economy, the Budget Office of the Federation as well as the comprehensive oversight of the National Assembly and that it has made the allegation of misapplication of budgetary provisions impossible.

Onyemekara explained that the contract for dredging works at the Warri Escravos Channel (hub of Nigeria's Oil and Gas Operations) became necessary because of the need to tackle the increasing siltation of the channel and forestall the international embarrassment and huge investment losses from shipping vessels running aground, and that the dredging work also followed laid-down processes and procedure for emergency procurement as laid down in the Procurement Act, 2007, contrary to allegations in the report.

"The procurement of marine crafts such as tugboats and pilot cutters was carried out in line with the provisions of the Procurement Act, 2007. The process for this equipment was initiated and undertaken in response to the exigency of ensuring national energy security through the implementation of sale of crude oil in naira to domestic refiners which involved intensive offshore operations.

"The allegation of documents being withheld for over a year is untenable, as the extant civil service guidelines governing the timeline for processing of official documents make it impossible.

"Allegations made in connection with expenditures at the Authority's London office are outrightly false as the dealings or transactions speculated in the report never took place," he said.