Lagos can accommodate two deep seaports — Master Mariner

By Dapo Olawuni

A frontline master mariner and President of the Nigerian Association of Master Mariners (NAMM) Capt Tajudeen Alao has reacted to the recent cancellation of the contract for the construction of the Badagry Deep Seaport by the Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Hadiza Bala Usman.

Capt Alao in a chat with our correspondent said that it is not out of place to have two deep seaports located within a city. He however said that the NPA must have had a good reason to cancel the Badagry Deep Seaport project.

One of the major challenges to the project which was envisaged by the master mariner is that the Badagry area where the port is billed to be located ab-initio was not linked to the rail network.

He said that extending the rail lines and good road networks to the port would now come at an extra cost.
Capt Alao argued that if these critical two factors are not considered, the Badagry port would end up having same challenges currently facing the Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports.

Speaking, he said “We need more ports in Lagos, but the NPA must have done its feasibility reports, to the stakeholders, the cancellation was a shocker because the Lagos State Government wants another seaport, but there is no point putting a seaport that would not be viable”

“The rail service is not extended to Badagry, so the same problems we are having at the Apapa port is going to happen, if you have a seaport without good access road network, rail network to evacuate the cargoes, maybe this was one of the reasons, I do not know”

“But rail is being extended to Lagos now at an extra cost”

“There is nothing wrong with having two deep seaports in one city, if the authorities have done their home work and it is viable”

“If there is a road going to the North, the Badagry road can do that in evacuation of cargoes to the North, there is supposed to be a highway to the North through Badagry.

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