A logistics expert and the Chief Executive Officer of Multimix Academy, Dr. Obiora Madu, has faulted the on-going construction of Lekki Deep Seaport , saying that the port which is located at the Lagos Free Trade Zone (LFTZ),will further congest Lagos state.
Dr. Madu who said this recently in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos, also called for decentralization of cargoes coming into Lagos state.
He advised that for the port to operate successfully, arrangement should be on ground as to ensure availability and effectiveness of the rail system in other to move the cargoes out of the ports.
He explained that: “It will further congest Lagos, look at Lekki the way it is at the moment; the road traffic and the rest. I don’t have anything against the project; the only thing is that we as a country we need to decentralise some of these things. I don’t know their plans for rail, is it not these same roads that we are going to have the rail lines. Because you say the biggest vessels will come and we will discharge the cargoes and start sending them by roads. I don’t know if it has solved their problems while we are thinking of that, there are supposed to be arrangements for rail so that the containers can be taken out of ports. That way it will improve timelines and everything”.
Dr. Madu also fingered infrastructural deficit as the major logistics challenge that Nigeria as a nation is facing, even as he called for more partnership from private individuals to enhance the sector.
“The thing about logistics wherever it is, is infrastructure and we are in deficit massively as far as logistics infrastructure is concerned and the government has realised that a lot can be done in partnership with private sector, which is why you see the acting CEO of Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) was at that lunch. That partnership is the only thing that will save us, if you think that the government can fix infrastructure alone it won’t happen”, he concluded.
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