The recent anger of the Lagos State Government on the movement of cargo vessels to Warri and other eastern ports by the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has been criticized by maritime industry experts.
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transportation and Logistics, Adekoya Hassan, recently criticised the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for diverting operational attention from Lagos ports to the Warri Port Complex, insisting that the authority’s policy missteps not Lagos facilities are responsible for ongoing difficulties within Apapa’s maritime corridor.
Hassan, stated that the administration has demonstrated unwavering commitment to solving port congestion challenges. He argued that the NPA’s approach continues to undermine progress, despite several interventions by the state government.
According to Hassan, Governor Sanwo-Olu has invested heavily in infrastructure, traffic management and multi-agency coordination aimed at restoring ease of cargo movement around Apapa and Tin Can Island. However, the country’s port regulator has allegedly failed to align its policies with these efforts, resulting in persistent bottlenecks across the port access roads.
He stressed that shifting focus to the Warri Port Complex is a diversionary strategy that ignores the root causes of inefficiency. “The Lagos ports are not the problem. It is the NPA’s policies that continue to frustrate seamless operations,” Hassan said.
The remarks come amid mounting concerns from freight operators, clearing agents and investors who fear that the NPA’s decision could weaken Lagos’ strategic economic advantage as the nation’s primary commercial gateway.
However, many industry operators have viewed the now open stand of the Lagos State Government as the main reason why all the eastern ports have remained moribund over the years.
According to them, concentrating every shipping business in Lagos ports have created dangerous problems in the nation’s maritime industry over the years and this is the right time to solve the problem once and for all by shifting certain maritime operations to eastern region.
