Group seeks specialized port administration for seamless operations

National Association of Freight Forwarders and Air Consolidators (NAFFAC) has canvassed for port liberalisation as a way of eliminating myriads of problems bedevilling the port system in Nigeria.

The National President of the group, Prince Bakare Adeyinka made the suggestion in a chat with our correspondent in Lagos, recently.

He advised that the government convert some of the terminals for export while others can handle specific imports adding that they should charge different levies in cargoes to facilitate competitiveness among the operators.

According to him, the designation of some ports to handle specific cargoes have yielded positive results in China, adding that government conversion of some of facilities to handle certain goods would address most challenges at the ports.

“If we want to decongest Apapa port for instance, then we must clamour for specialised port administration to tackle the bottleneck we are faced with in Apapa.

He also noted that port business can thrive when the ports are competitive, pointing out specialisation of cargoes would make Tin Can Island port compete with Apapa port favourably adding that attention can be diverted to terminal where a particular cargo is handled.

Citing instance about how specialised terminals have aided trade facilitation, Bakare noted that “China ports benefitted from specialized administration because what Shanghai port handles is quite different from what Guangzhou port is handling.

All these ports have different cargoes that they accept separately, that are some port in China that handles only finished products and with that in place, both ports in Lagos can compete.

NAFFAC chief opined that activities at the ports will not be diverted to a particular terminal as focus on a particular kind of consignment will be decentralized.

He said APMT, Ports and Cargo Handling Services and Tin Can Island Container Terminal (TICT) are specialist in containerized consignments and should concentrate with only such kind of cargoes.

He also stressed the need for government to designate one of the terminals in Lagos for exportation of Nigerian produces in a view to expedite prompt shipment of cargoes out of the shores of the country to affect balance of trade.

He noted that conversion of specialized administration ports would address challenges faced in the Nigeria ports.