No Traffic Gridlock In Apapa, Presidential Task Team Insists
…As Freight Forwarders 48hours Ultimatum Expires
The Presidential Taskforce on Law and Order at Apapa Port has insisted that there is no traffic gridlock in Apapa, but rather, what the port is experiencing is port congestion.
Leader of the team, Comrade Kayode Opeifa stated this in a virtual meeting convened by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry recently.
Recall that the Committee of Freight Forwarders and Maritime Truck Owners(COFFAMAT) had last week issued a 48-hour ultimatum for the Presidential Task Force to vacate port access roads.
National Coordinator of NAGAFF 100% Compliance Team, Alhaji Ibrahim Tanko who spoke for the Committee members, alleged that the Task Team has failed in its duties and this has caused congestion in Apapa.
Tanko accused the taskforce of extorting money from truckers between N150, 000 to N180, 000 before they could access the ports.
Comrade Kayode Opeifa at the virtual dialogue debunked the reports about traffic congestion in Apapa, saying that most of the problems is caused by the stakeholders themselves, due to their impatience.
According to him, the challenge with the port is due to businesspeople circumventing standard procedures and being in a hurry to move their goods in and out of the ports.
He explained that the exporters for example, were always too desperate to move their containers into AP Moller, rather that Lillypond where there was convenience.
“There is no gridlock, what we have is in-port congestion and that talks to the issue of port operations and the way we all do business,” he said.
Opeifa advised stakeholders to stay within the standard operating procedures and adhere to whatever instrument that is put in place.
He also noted the need to immediately resolve all issues with overtime cargo and port space efficiency in port holding bay and to look into the seaport terminal operations.
He suggested a multi-modal transport system with rail, road, water and others working at full capacity, stressing the need to improve port operations.
According to him, the export cargo shipment is in trouble as there seemed to be inadequate capacity in the sector.
Opeifa called on stakeholders to show interest and assist exporters.
“The ball is now in the court of the stakeholders. All stakeholders need to take ownership of Apapa. We need to take control, take charge and make sure that we make use of the ports following global best practices,” he said.
