Apapa Traffic: NSC Rues Absence of Nigerian Ports from Maritime Transport Review

Abiola Seun

The Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has bemoaned the absence of Nigerian ports from the review of maritime transport due to the impediments in the nation’s seaports.

Speaking at the stakeholders meeting to find a lasting solution to the Apapa gridlock convened by the NSC, the Director, Consumer Services of the Council, Cajetan Agu said Nigeria ports generate 70% of trade in Africa but not efficient enough

He said, “It is a shame that we are here discussing traffic on the port access roads. Globally if you don’t compete you will perish, we are here discussing while we have other ports in West Africa that are in competition with Nigerian ports. Go and look at the review of the maritime transport in 2019 no Port in Nigeria was mentioned; the only port mentioned was Lome port and Nigerian ports generate almost 70% of the cargo inputs of West-Africa.”

Agu who proffered solutions to the gridlock on the port access roads further called for cooperation among government officials at the seaports.

“Then finally, the agencies should be talking to each other. we should be speaking to one another. We should not remain silent, so I recommend that after this stakeholders’ meeting the Chairman of the task team should have to call another meeting let us meet with the port managers, take into the consideration the opinion expressed here and make sure that we put in place efficient traffic management that can be sustained.

He also called for sanctions for inefficient terminals at the port saying efficiency should be entrenched in all the terminals.

“The minimum number of trucks terminals can accept in a day will be determined because a situation where trucks are released to go to a particular terminal in a day and it cannot take it then there is a problem.

‘There are some key factors for measuring port efficiency so, we must maintain all these terminals so that if they are not okay, they will be sanctioned. You cannot just see a terminal in a day and it is only 15 trucks or sometimes there is breakdown and trucks cannot come inside, ask the chairman at the initial stage of this operation any time we visit this terminal they will start receiving trucks. If the task team leave, they will not receive trucks. we cannot continue with that.”