Apapa Gridlock: Stakeholders Seek More Commitment From Govt Agencies
Stakeholders in the Maritime industry have tasked regulators and other government agencies in the industry to show more Commitment in the management of the Apapa and TinCan ports access roads and other facilities.
The Stakeholders made this known in Lagos at the end of Powerful Pen Media Chapel Special Congress.
The Special Congress was organised by Powerful Pen Media Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists and Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN), under the leadership of Comrade Ray Ugochukwu, as the President.
Discussing passionstely on theme of the event: ‘Apapa Traffic and Skyrocketing Inflation in the Country; Effects on Port Operations and the Maritime Industry’, all the discussant were united in saying that the traffic challenge in Apapa and Tincan ports roads were man made.
Chairman, TinCan Port Chapter, National Council of Managing Directors of Customs Licensed Agents, Alhaji Isa kazeem said insincerity on the part of Maritime regulators has continued pose serious challenge.
He charged the Nigeria Ports Authority, NPA, to wake up to its responsibility of managing the ports access roads.
Acccording him the Federal Government should open up Eastern Ports, in order to ease the pressure on Apapa ports and Barge operations encouraged to decongest the ports.
Further he said the traffic managers creating artificial toll-gates to collect huge sums into private pockets must be prosecuted, to serve as deterrent to others.
The Chairman of Bonntex Nigeria limited, and a long standing member of ANLCA, Mr Boniface Okoye disclosed that Traffic gridlock contributes 35 percent to why Nigerian ports have become most expensive within West African sub-region.
” Apapa and TinCan are the two most vibrant ports in Nigeria, but lacks adequate maintenance of access roads.
The government and its agencies in the industry have allowed a Cabal to hijack maritime business in Nigeria, to the detriment of the entire economy”,he said.
Okoye alleged that the perennial traffic gridlock on Apapa ports access roads is induced by Powerful mafia in the system and that the barge operators are also owners of the terminals, making it difficult to regulate the sector.
Also a member of the disbanded Presidential Task Team, PTT and current Public Relations Officer of Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations, COMTUA, Alhaji Abdullahi Inua has tasked the government and its agencies to identify individuals constituting nuisance, who have no business on the ports access roads and force them to leave the terrain.
He noted that terminal operators/shipping companies not providing holding bays must be sanctioned accordingly.
MAJAN President, in his remarks said that Powerful Pen Media Chapel, as an affiliate of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Lagos Chapter, will always live up to expectations by constantly informing the Public on activities in the maritime industry.
He said the chapel is solidly behind
the leadership of Lagos NUJ under Mr Leye Ajayi
In conclusion, he thanked all the stakeholders who attended the Congress, despite their busy schedule, including the National President of ANLCA, Hon. Tony Iju Nwabunike, who gave the chapel support, to make the Congress a huge success.
