30 years of railway negligence forced highways to continuous collapse—Amaechi
The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi has linked the steady failure of federal highways to regular use of the infrastructure by heavy duty articulated vehicles which ordinarily would have moved by the rails.
In his address in Abuja on the establishment, management and operations of Truck Transit Parks (TTPs) on Tuesday, he explained that “The neglect of the rail lines for about three decades, the increasing volume of trade and transit within and across the country’s borders, and the increasing usage of Nigerian ports as transit port by landlocked neighbouring countries of Niger and Chad gave rise to dependence on road haulage as the major means of long distance transportation of goods”.
He said “Although the present administration is addressing the railways frontally through the construction of new standard gauge rail lines, revamping of existing narrow gauge eastern and western rail lines and refurbishing of coaches and wagons, road haulage will for sometime continue to be the major means for long distance transportation of goods and commodities”.
“The high statistics of road accidents and loss of cargo occasioned by bad road is of concern to government. Environmental degradation is another negative impact of excessive usage of roads by heavy duty vehicles. It is to this end that the imperative of providing truck transit parks (also known as truck terminals/rest stops) comes to the fore necessitating the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council to convene this National Summit on the theme ‘Truck Transit Parks (TTP): Providing Critical Infrastructure for Trade and Transit in Nigeria’.
In his remarks, the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), driver of the scheme, Barr. Hassan Bello, listed the planned TTP coming on stream very soon to include Lokoja in Kogi State, Obollo-Afor in Enugu State, Ogere in Ogun State, Jebba in Kwara State, and Porto Novo Creek in Lagos State.
They are to serve as alternative strategy to address the menace of truck congestion at the seaports in Apapa and Port Harcourt.
According to him, the emerging TTPs will complement the Ore Sunshine City in Ondo State and the ones being processed by the Kaduna State Government at Mararaban Jos, Buruku and Tapa on the Kaduna- Abuja highway.
In an interview with Business Hilights, Amaechi called on the State Governors to fast track the provision and process of developing the critical roads infrastructure, saying “The Federal Government shall ensure that TTP projects independently developed by state governments and private investors meet a minimum standard in the number of facilities provided at TTP sites. The Federal Government shall also ensure that the TTPs are economic and business hub creating wealth and employment for our teeming population particularly the youths”.
In his keynote address, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola argued that due to the absence of an effective rail transport system, trailers and other Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) play a key role in bulk movement of goods and in the process add pressure that keep on collapsing the roads.
Fashola revealed “The Apapa Wharf road is a case in point where HGV drivers wanting to access the Tank Farms and Apapa Port have turned the road carriageways and shoulders into parking lots and making them object of disrepairs all the year round”.
“The Federal Government in a bid to curb the menace of HGVs at the Apapa-Tin-can Island area of Lagos embarked on the construction of a 340 HGV capacity Trailer Park opposite Tin-can Port, Apapa. The Trailer Park which is the first of its magnitude in Nigeria is expected to be completed within the 2017 fiscal year. The Park when completed is expected to decongest the area and improve economic activities.
“Similar Truck Transit Parks should be replicated on major arterial routes and roads leading to neighbouring countries like the Lagos Badagry road (Benin border) Ikom –Mfum road (Cameroun border) and Kazaure – Kongolam Takeita (Niger border). Due to the financial outlay of these Trailer Transit Parks and viability of providing the parks, it would be an attractive venture for the private sector to participate,” Fashola averred.
