NIMASA DG indicts FG, says ports with bad road’ll have low cargo throughput
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has technically indicted the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the federal government by extension for the low cargo throughput currently suffered by Lagos ports.
It would be recalled that in line with the establishment Act of the NPA, the agency’s key statutory roles include overseeing the good conditions of port access roads and also regular maintenance of port channels from time to time for the easy sailing of bigger and larger vessels.
But currently, there is no access road to any of the Lagos port complexes that is in good motorable condition. Analysts say the worst remains the Apapa end of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway which had been abandoned by the government for years, thus causing severe loses on importers and port business operators.
Only recently, leading industrialist teamed up with some companies including Nigeria Floor Mills and the NPA to donate the reconstruction of Apapa-Wharf road.
However, speaking at the CRANS MONTANA FORUM CLUB OF PORTS in Belgium, Peterside noted that the quality of rail and road transport connection to a port has an impact on the cargo throughput of the port.
According to him “The efficiency of a port is measured by the average quantity of import and export cargoes it is able to handle in a single day. A port with bad road and rail facilities will have low cargo throughput, all other factors remaining equal. While ships start and end their journey in a port, the cargoes in most cases originate and end up far from the ports. This in effect implies that without the connection of other modes of transport to a seaport especially rail and road transport, the port becomes crippled and the sea transport becomes inefficient”
While noting that some Port Managements, particularly in developing countries do not still understand the level of impact an effective intermodal connectivity has on the efficiency of their ports, the NIMASA DG pointed out to the International audience that Nigeria under the current leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari through the Federal Ministry of Transportation is investing heavily on linking all major sea ports and airports to the cities through rail and good access roads to further boost the economy.
