Post by Ismail AbdulAzeez on Jan 5, 2021 18:56:09 GMT 1
The state of the access road to and from the Apapa Port has become so unbearable that over 500, 000 containers are currently trapped at the port. The minister for transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi gave an instruction that the access roads be cleared immediately, but the situation has remained the same causing unimaginable distress and losses to importers and manufacturers with their goods trapped inside the port.
Manufacturing companies and traders that have their goods trapped at the port are so distressed that they have been crying to the government to help them. Some manufacturing companies have run out of some raw materials they use in production. They have exhausted such products; but they have their containers stuck at the port for more than six weeks now.
What will be the faith of companies that borrowed money from banks at cut throat interest rate? The goods have not even been cleared from the port before talking about being used to manufacture the products before selling. What a pain in the neck, just to clear the access roads is causing traders and manufacturers this headache.
The worst is that there are traders who imported goods to sell during the yuletide season, but the goods are now trapped at the port. They are about to lose millions of naira if they are not able to sell the goods before Christmas and New Year.
The following high ranking officers were with the Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi last week when he went to inspect the Tin Can Island Port access road. They are: Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman; The Executive Secretary Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello. They were all there with the minister but the situation still remained the same at Nigeria’s second busiest seaport.
The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, also met with Stake Holders in Lagos to sort matters concerning Gridlock out. The measures include the disbandment of the Presidential Taskforce Team on Apapa Gridlock and the reconstitution of the traffic management system at the Tin Can Island Port access road.
The most annoying part of it is that the Permanent Secretary directed that the contractor handling the repairs of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway should reopen the road leading to the port to clear the gridlock but as at the time of writing this article the contractor has failed to obey the instruction.
This abnormality has also affected the cost of haulage from the port. Clearing agents are complaining that the reason why gridlock has continued despite the disbandment of the Presidential Task Force Team is due to the road blocks mounted by security and traffic management officials.
With the various blockades, nobody knows how there will be free movement, the government officials should please open the access road as there is a standing instruction from the Permanent Secretary to the contractor handling the Apapa-Oshodi Express road.
Why is it so difficult to manage the contractor engaged by the federal government? Cargoes cannot exit the port because there are so many blockages everywhere.
Clearing agents are complaining bitterly, though it is the customers and importers that own those containers that are going to bear the exorbitant cost of clearing the containers. It costs about N1.7 million to clear one container from Tin Can Island Port to Ladipo all in Lagos, according to the clearing agents.
The cry and lamentations by clearing agents and importers who have their goods trapped at the port are too much. Can’t the government listen and take action? Are those who are cashing in on the chaotic situation too big for the government to handle?
The cumulative effect of this anomaly is increased cost of goods due to the abnormal increase in the cost of haulage and demurrages paid for clearing the containers.
Manufacturing companies and traders that have their goods trapped at the port are so distressed that they have been crying to the government to help them. Some manufacturing companies have run out of some raw materials they use in production. They have exhausted such products; but they have their containers stuck at the port for more than six weeks now.
What will be the faith of companies that borrowed money from banks at cut throat interest rate? The goods have not even been cleared from the port before talking about being used to manufacture the products before selling. What a pain in the neck, just to clear the access roads is causing traders and manufacturers this headache.
The worst is that there are traders who imported goods to sell during the yuletide season, but the goods are now trapped at the port. They are about to lose millions of naira if they are not able to sell the goods before Christmas and New Year.
The following high ranking officers were with the Minister of Transport, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi last week when he went to inspect the Tin Can Island Port access road. They are: Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman; The Executive Secretary Nigerian Shippers Council, Hassan Bello. They were all there with the minister but the situation still remained the same at Nigeria’s second busiest seaport.
The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, also met with Stake Holders in Lagos to sort matters concerning Gridlock out. The measures include the disbandment of the Presidential Taskforce Team on Apapa Gridlock and the reconstitution of the traffic management system at the Tin Can Island Port access road.
The most annoying part of it is that the Permanent Secretary directed that the contractor handling the repairs of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway should reopen the road leading to the port to clear the gridlock but as at the time of writing this article the contractor has failed to obey the instruction.
This abnormality has also affected the cost of haulage from the port. Clearing agents are complaining that the reason why gridlock has continued despite the disbandment of the Presidential Task Force Team is due to the road blocks mounted by security and traffic management officials.
With the various blockades, nobody knows how there will be free movement, the government officials should please open the access road as there is a standing instruction from the Permanent Secretary to the contractor handling the Apapa-Oshodi Express road.
Why is it so difficult to manage the contractor engaged by the federal government? Cargoes cannot exit the port because there are so many blockages everywhere.
Clearing agents are complaining bitterly, though it is the customers and importers that own those containers that are going to bear the exorbitant cost of clearing the containers. It costs about N1.7 million to clear one container from Tin Can Island Port to Ladipo all in Lagos, according to the clearing agents.
The cry and lamentations by clearing agents and importers who have their goods trapped at the port are too much. Can’t the government listen and take action? Are those who are cashing in on the chaotic situation too big for the government to handle?
The cumulative effect of this anomaly is increased cost of goods due to the abnormal increase in the cost of haulage and demurrages paid for clearing the containers.