Lekki Port: Lack Of Intermodal connectivity Worries NPA MD

ABIOLA Seun |

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has expressed worry over lack of inter-modal connectivity for evacuation of cargoes at Lekki deep seaport and Dangote refinery at the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ).

The LFTZ is hosting a 650,000 barrels per day (bpd) Dangote Refinery and the largest seaport in Nigeria.

The promoters of the Lekki Deep Seaport project, Tolaram group, are targeting about 1.5 million 20ft equivalent units container capacity annually, which is expected to grow to about 2.7million and 4.7million TEUs, when the operations commences..

The project is being primed to be one of the largest deep water ports in the sub-Sahara Africa and also serve as the hub of ports operations in the whole of West Africa with the potentials of influencing the generation of about 170,000 direct and indirect jobs in the nation

Speaking at a media chat on Nigeria hosting of the International Association of Port and Harbour (IAPH), the Managing Director of NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman said she was alarmed at the discovery that the Lekki Deep Seaport has no plan for rail connectivity.

“Before we took over two years ago, there was no provision for rail connection out of Lekki, in the Deep Sea port plan, which I found quite strange that you can have a deep sea port without the need for rail connection.

“It will take you two years to build the port but five years to build the rail. So, we have written the Nigerian Railway Corporation to ensure that there is a rail connection.

“The same way we have written the Dangote Refinery to have pipeline evacuation mechanism out of Lekki, so that you don’t have trucks parking and looking for where to pick products from the refinery. There is also a proposed Lekki By-Pass in addition to the rail connectivity.

“So, one, there must be pipeline for product evacuation; two, there must be rail connection, three, there must be additional means of road transportation and access.

“Also, we need to work to have some sanity in five years time. If we do not deploy what is required now, in five to 10 years time, Lekki will be unmanageable. I am a believer of starting something, even if you do not finish it, start it” she added.

It could be recall that the Senate Committee on Marine Transport had expressed similar concerns over lack of plans for rail link to the seaport.

The Chairman of the committee, Senator Ahmed Yerima, suggested during an oversight visit to the Lekki Deep Seaport in 2016 that the sponsors of the project should include rail transportation in the plan, in order to avoid gridlock along the port access roads.

He warned that if the project was completed without facility for railway, there might be a repeat of the same challenges currently being faced by operators at the Apapa Port.

“We will not want what we are experiencing along the port access roads in Lagos to occur in the Lekki/Epe area, because it is really affecting the system.”