Federal government approves N72billIon for Truck Park, Others in Apapa - NPA MD

ABIOLA Seun |

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has granted approval for a Private Public Partnership (PPP) of N72 billion for the ports access road in Apapa and Tin can Island.

Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman who indicated this recently while brainstorming in Lagos with the Ports Consultative Council (PCC) forum towards evolving a vibrant and more efficient port system, also highlighted that the Federal Government will soon institute a Wreck Insurance Policy (WIP) on all vessels calling to the Nigerian Ports.

Specifically, Hadiza stated that while the intention of the Wreck Insurance Policy is to identify already abandoned vessels and remove them, the N72bn PPP is to entrench sanity on the Ports access roads, and run a digitally controlled trailer parks capable of ensuring that only trucks that are housed in the proposed trailer parks will be allowed entry into the port locations.

“It is in a bid to accelerate operational efficiency and navigational safety in the nation’s seaports”, Hadiza Bala Usman indicated, stressing that the port management would soon identify and evacuate abandoned vessels in all the nation’s territorial water, through non-payment of insurance by their supposed owners.

“The Management is to deploy an electronic call-up system that allows access to the ports only when they are needed”, the NPA boss said, explaining further that the Apapa Wharf Road reconstruction project has reached 85 per cent completion, and would be fully completed in October this year.

Hadiza, who also stressed that the efficient utilization of Inland Water Ways is key to resolving the decongestion of the Ports access road, revealed that a company, Connect-Rail which was one of the private components engaged by the Authority to provide barge evacuation was already, currently moving several tons of cargoes, especially containers from Ikorodu, to the Terminals by water.

“The Management of the Nigerian Ports Authority is desirous on how it can use the water ways farther, even away from Ikorodu, to other locations, to really ease the congestion out of Apapa and Tin can Island axis”, Hadiza also highlighted, during the one day quarterly summit of the Ports Consultative Council, grieving that lack of infrastructure has become one major factor, responsible for low cargo throughput in the Eastern ports.

Hadiza also identified insecurity, depth of the ports, roads and rail infrastructure in states where these ports are located and link roads to warehouses within and out of the area as challenges.

“For the Eastern ports to attract cargo there must be improvement on infrastructure that would aid port transaction in the zone.

“There is no need for shippers to en route their cargoes to places where they will find it difficult to reach their warehouses and end users.

“There has been this issue of restiveness in the area and no investor will like to toy with his or her goods, hence they prefer Lagos ports where security is guaranteed unlike in the eastern ports.

“Calabar port is strategically located to be able to service the North-East and the North-West, but the linking roads to the areas from Calabar are bad. Articulated vehicles cannot ply the route,’’ Usman said; and appealed to the relevant government agencies responsible for infrastructure related development, to assist the authority in the provision of the needed infrastructure for smooth cargo operations in the zone.

The managing director also called on the coastal communities to ensure security and less restiveness among the youths in order to attract investment in their area.