Apapa Gridlock: Amaechi’s Visit Has Not Brought Respite, Importers Lament

Stories by Tola Adenubi | Lagos

•Say 50,000 containers trapped at ports

THERE is no end in sight to the perennial gridlock on the access
road leading to the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos as no fewer than
50,000 containers laden with raw materials belonging to
manufacturing companies and traders are currently trapped at the
port. This is even as importers and agents have lamented that the
recent visit of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi to
the ports access road has not changed anything.

The Managing Director of an international beverage company told
journalists that his company had run out of the substrate used in
manufacturing one of its soft drinks

“We exhausted our stock and the container loads we imported
arrived more than six weeks ago but have not been able to leave the
port,” the Managing Director, who does not want to be identified,
said at a closed-door meeting with select journalists in Lagos,
recently.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi had last week
inspected the Tin Can Island Port access road in company of the
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT),
Magdalene Ajani; Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority,
Hadiza Bala Usman and the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers
Council, Hassan Bello in an effort to find solution to the
gridlock, which has crippled cargo delivery at the nation’s second
busiest seaport.

Also last week, the FMOT Permanent Secretary, Magdalene Ajani,
during a meeting with stakeholders in Lagos, directed Hitech
Construction Company, the contractor handling the repair of the
Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, to reopen the road leading to the port to
clear the gridlock. However, Hitech has failed to comply with the
order, days after it was issued, while security operatives still
mount toll points along the road to extort various sums of money
from hapless truckers.

A clearing agent who operates at the Tin Can Island Port, Julius
Nwachukwu, said despite the disbandment of the Presidential Task
Team, the traffic situation still persists due to road blocks
mounted by security and traffic management officials as well as the
failure of the government to open up the completed portion of the
road as promised by the FMOT Permanent Secretary last Friday.

This, he said, has continued to hinder free movement and exit of
cargoes from the port with Police officials and other security
operatives still cashing in on the blockade created by the
contractor especially at night.

Also speaking, Chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed
Customs Agents (ANLCA), Tin Can Island Chapter, Segun Oduntan, said
there hadn’t been any respite on the road despite the Minister’s
visit to the Tin Can Island Port last week.

He lamented the pain and frustration agents and importers are
going through, especially those who have their goods trapped at the
port as a result of the chaotic gridlock along the Tin Can Port
corridor.

“You need to see how importers and agents are crying, especially
those who have goods that are trapped at the port with the high
cost of demurrage. So what intervention has the minister made?

“The Minister’s visit has not changed anything because when they
came for the inspection, they did not inform any stakeholder. We
are the ones that can give the Minister first hand information. How
can a contractor be bigger than the Ministry? They should just open
the road,” he said.

Stories by Tola Adenubi | Lagos

•Say 50,000 containers trapped at ports

THERE is no end in sight to the perennial gridlock on the access
road leading to the Tin Can Island Port, Lagos as no fewer than
50,000 containers laden with raw materials belonging to
manufacturing companies and traders are currently trapped at the
port. This is even as importers and agents have lamented that the
recent visit of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi to
the ports access road has not changed anything.

The Managing Director of an international beverage company told
journalists that his company had run out of the substrate used in
manufacturing one of its soft drinks

“We exhausted our stock and the container loads we imported
arrived more than six weeks ago but have not been able to leave the
port,” the Managing Director, who does not want to be identified,
said at a closed-door meeting with select journalists in Lagos,
recently.

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi had last week
inspected the Tin Can Island Port access road in company of the
Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation (FMOT),
Magdalene Ajani; Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority,
Hadiza Bala Usman and the Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers
Council, Hassan Bello in an effort to find solution to the
gridlock, which has crippled cargo delivery at the nation’s second
busiest seaport.

Also last week, the FMOT Permanent Secretary, Magdalene Ajani,
during a meeting with stakeholders in Lagos, directed Hitech
Construction Company, the contractor handling the repair of the
Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, to reopen the road leading to the port to
clear the gridlock. However, Hitech has failed to comply with the
order, days after it was issued, while security operatives still
mount toll points along the road to extort various sums of money
from hapless truckers.

A clearing agent who operates at the Tin Can Island Port, Julius
Nwachukwu, said despite the disbandment of the Presidential Task
Team, the traffic situation still persists due to road blocks
mounted by security and traffic management officials as well as the
failure of the government to open up the completed portion of the
road as promised by the FMOT Permanent Secretary last Friday.

This, he said, has continued to hinder free movement and exit of
cargoes from the port with Police officials and other security
operatives still cashing in on the blockade created by the
contractor especially at night.

Also speaking, Chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed
Customs Agents (ANLCA), Tin Can Island Chapter, Segun Oduntan, said
there hadn’t been any respite on the road despite the Minister’s
visit to the Tin Can Island Port last week.

He lamented the pain and frustration agents and importers are
going through, especially those who have their goods trapped at the
port as a result of the chaotic gridlock along the Tin Can Port
corridor.

“You need to see how importers and agents are crying, especially
those who have goods that are trapped at the port with the high
cost of demurrage. So what intervention has the minister made?

“The Minister’s visit has not changed anything because when they
came for the inspection, they did not inform any stakeholder. We
are the ones that can give the Minister first hand information. How
can a contractor be bigger than the Ministry? They should just open
the road,” he said.