NPA Urges Works Ministry To Handover Tin-Can Island Truck Park For Completion

Abiola Seun

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has urged the Federal ministry of Power, Works and Housing to hand over the uncompleted Tin-Can Island Trailer park to the authority for completion.

This plea was made by the managing director of NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman when she appeared as a guest on Lagos Talk FM, 96.1FM in Lagos yesterday.

This was even as truck drivers and owners have blamed lack of parking space for their decision to remain on the port access roads urging the federal government to allow them more time to find parking space.

The NPA MD noted that the ministry has been constructing the park around Tincan Island Port access for the past 10 years.

“The traffic situation will not reduce in Apapa unless there is a concerted effort in providing trailer parks. I will also use this opportunity to call on the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to conclude the trailer park inside the Tincan Island Port, the ministry has been constructing the park around Tincan Island Port access for the past 10 years”

“I have held discussions with the ministry over two years ago when I assumed duty and requested that the trailer park be handed over to the NPA so that we can conclude the shore protection and have it ready.

“Fixing that trailer park along with what we have currently at Lilypond will go a long way in decongesting the traffic. The gridlock in Apapa has been lingering for to long, the NPA in the last three weeks withdraw the lease for the Lilypond Terminal and converted it into a Trailer Transit Park (TTP).
“We have also called on the Lagos State Government to provide land for TTP for overriding public interest; we need trailer parks and holding bays to enable us to manage the traffic. We cannot have a situation where all the trailers do not have designated parking. We must have as state or local government a place for trucks to park.”
The MD also called on the Lagos State government to withdraw some of the land allocations they have for trailer parks so that they can be developed into standardized parks for use of the state.

“I call on the Lagos and Ogun state government to use overriding public interest and withdraw some of the land allocations they have for trailer parks so that they can be developed into standardized parks for use of the state.

“The NPA intends to have call up system in the trailer parks. Lilypond is really a transit into the port; we need to have large sized parks that will house the trailers on the road.

“A lot of the trailers on the road have no business in the port, they are there waiting to be called for business. If the Lagos state of Ogun state governments provide space for the parks, those trailers who have no business at the port can stay there for people who needs their service to contact them, “she said.

However, the President of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Remi Ogungbemi yesterday blamed lack of parking space for their decision to remain on the port access roads urging the federal government to allow them more time to find parking space.

He stated further that his members are complying stressing that trucks are still on the road because the government order was restricted to containerised trucks.

According to him, “The government should order all trucks to leave the road so that movement can be fully regulated. Even at that trucks will still be on the road because Apapa is a port area and the port has to operate. As an association we have no choice but to obey the government’s order. We call on Nigerians to be patient as there is no perfect system anywhere in the world