Maritime Stakeholders identify those behind Apapa gridlock at Powerful Pen Congress

editor January 16, 2021

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Ranmilowo Ojalumo

It is no longer news that the perennial gridlock in Apapa, home of the Nigeria Premium Ports, has wrecked a lot of damages to business as the gridlock, till date, has defied every recomended solution.

However, stakeholders in the maritime sector that graced the workshop which formed part of the special congress of The powerful Pen Media Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), on Thursday, lamented that the lingering gridlock in Apapa is a man- made glitch orchestrated by some unscrupulous elements in the country for their self interest.

The Powerful Pen media is the publisher of The Powerful Pen Newspaper, powered by the Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN).

The theme of the Workshop was “Apapa Traffic and Skyrocketing Inflation in the Country; Effects on Port Operations and the Maritime Industry”. The maritime experts at the event however reiterated that the problem that can be solved if there is sincerity on the part of government since it is man-made.

The stakeholders, at separate remarks at the event, reiterated that the creation of numerous checking points on the highway and on the Ijora bridge by security operatives meant to control the traffic, as well as the activities of touts have led to the drastic increase in cost of haulage in the past five years.

The speakers at the event reiterated that the inability of some terminal operators to provide holding bay contributed immensely to the never ending gridlock.

According to the stakeholders, the gridlock, which they said began at the inception of the current President, Muhammadu Buhari led administration, has made freight charge from the port to various destinations, within and outside Lagos to go up by 100%,

While speaking at the event, the Vice Chairman, Lagos State Chapter of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) Alhaji Abdullahi Inua, who was one of the Guest Speakers at the event, stated that more than 500 trucks attempted to access Apapa port through Liverpool during the #Endsars protests, a development he said caused unprecedented holdup.

According to Inua, the Council of Maritime Unions and Transport Associations (COMTUA), had left with no option than to raise freight charge so as to mitigate the suffering of their members, adding that the gridlock had seriously affected their business.

Inua noted that the inability of some terminal operators to provide holding bay is a big problem. He therefore called on shipping companies to provide holding bays and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) should ensure the electronic call-up system is enforced.

Chairman of Tincan Port chapter of National Council of Managing Directors of Customs Licenses Agents (NCMDCLA), Alhaji Inua Isa Adua, National President Maritime Journalist Association of Nigeria (MAJAN) and Editor-in Chief, The Powerful Pen Newspaper, Mr Ray Ogochukwu, Chairman Bontex Shipping Ltd, Mr. Boniface Ikoye and Editor, The Powerful Pen Newspaper, Mr. S. Ekpo at The Powerful Pen Media Congress in Lagos

Meanwhile, the Chairman/CEO of Bontex Shipping Ltd, who was also one of the speakers at the event, Mr. Boniface Okoye, has lamented that some people he referred to as “cabal” are responsible for the traffic and other problems in the port. Okoye disclosed that the Barge operators in the industry were also the owners of the terminals, thus making it difficult to regulate the sector. He however wondered why the government allows a cabal to take over the maritime business.

He said “because of insincerity on the part of the Economic Regulator and the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), cost of trucking has gone up. I paid N600,000 to move a container from Tincan Port to Satellite Town in Lagos, what used to be N200,000. From Tincan to Ladipo, it is N400,000. The federal government should revoke the licenses of Shipping Companies for failing to show proof of their holding bays.”

Also speaking at the event, the Chairman of Tincan Port chapter of National Council of Managing Directors of Customs Licenses Agents (NCMDCLA), Alhaji Inua Isa Adua reiterated that Apapa receives 65 per cent of total cargo inflow into the country but a litany of problems such as artificial toll gates, compulsory cash fees, lack of truck parks and trucks without road-worthiness have all conspired to make business a nightmare.

Adua called on the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) to manage the port access road efficiently, stressing that multiple access points for trucks result in chaos. Adua also urged NPA and shippers Council to enforce the establishment of holding bay by shipping companies, noting that the Truck Park at Tincan port is currently not well managed as it’s already constituting nuisance to the environment.

He also called on government to overhauled the traffic control and as well encourage the use of barges for movement of cargo, Adua also want terminal operators sanctioned if they are found wanting.

Similarly, the Secretary of the Tincan Chapter of NCMDCLA, Mr. Humphrey Oviosu, called on the government to maximise the use of Eastern Ports, stressing that making use of other ports in the country will reduce the gridlock in and around Apapa and enhance efficiency at the Lagos port.