There are indications that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is considering taking over the Lillypond Container Terminal located in the Ijora part of Lagos. The facilities may be converted to a truck holding bay.
According to a highly placed source, taking over the Ijora facilities for truck holding bay "would take trucks off the port access road, they would be only be invited through a call up system which the authority would develop".
"Apart from reducing the gridlock on access to the port, the NPA will also generate revenue through making use of the terminal”, the source added during a chat with one of our correspondents in Lagos last week.
The revelation comes even as the NPA has also called on owners of private lands who are willing to establish holding bays to approach the authority for licenses to construct truck holding bays in order to decongest the port and ameliorate suffering of port users.
Disclosing this exclusively to Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week, General Manager Engineering of NPA, Engr. Muhammed Ahmed Rufai said that NPA is also making plans to establish its own holding bay to take articulated trucks off the port access roads.
But speaking with our correspondent, the NPA General Manager in charge of Engineering assured that ‘’efforts are being made to create holding bays, if we have holding bays, the trucks we see littered around the port will not be there until there is need for them to be there through a call up system"
"For the holding bays also, it would be worthwhile to have private participation, people who are willing to establish holding bays are free to come to NPA to obtain licenses, they can look for the land where trucks can stay until they are needed around the port area"
"There is going to be a call up system, management is considering establishment of this holding bay. We are also encouraging private participation, if people have lands they want to use for holding bay, they can come to NPA and obtain the necessary permit", he said.
Discussion about this post