Benjamin Omoike I Thursday, August 09, 2018
APAPA-TINCAN, Lagos, Nigeria – Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, Mr. Hassan Bello, has said the major causes of the gridlock being experienced at the Apapa-Tincan Road, were based on non-implementation of policies as well as failure to employ digital procedures at the terminals in terms of gate inspection, capacity control and processing entry and exit into the port.
He averred that contrary to previous information, assumptions and some schools of thought; the bad road condition of the Apapa-Tincan Road is not the primary cause of the gridlock experienced in that axis. According to him, it is only a contributor. This, he said, is based on a 2015 report by the Nigerian Shippers Council.
Speaking at the third Lagos Traffic Radio Lecture Series recently, as the guest speaker, Bello, who spoke on the topic ‘Truck Transit Parks: Solution to Endemic Gridlock in Apapa’, and was represented by the council’s Deputy Director, Monitoring and Enforcement, Chief Cajetan Agu Chukwuemeka, explained the Lagos Logistics Ring which goes from Apapa – Ijora – Orile – Mile 2 – Tincan Island – Apapa.
Bello noted that this ring houses the two international sea ports (i.e Tincan and Wharf) as well as 27 tank farms handling 2,500 trucks and tankers on a daily basis, with about 7,000 trucks hovering within the ring. According to him, modern transit truck parks would restore sanity to the area.
“There should also be installation of e-gates at all entry points as well as integration of this system with the Nigerian Customs Service. There must be a dispatch system to enable management of relationships between the truck parks and the tank farms,” he said.
Referring to the recent unfortunate Otedola Bridge tanker explosion, Bello noted that it was imperative to reform truck ownerships in Nigeria, adding that there was a need for political will and government sincerity in tackling the issue of port congestion. This, he believed, would remove the congestion at the ports within six months. He added that the ripple effect would be betterment of Apapa Real Estate, significant reduction in carbon-dioxide emissions and the creation of about 600 direct jobs and 1,000 indirect jobs.
The lecture series, organised by Traffic Radio 96.1fm, had this year’s theme as ‘Lagos State Transport Infrastructural Support Systems: The Governor Akinwunmi Ambode Strides’.
