The Nigerian Ports Authority has called on the Federal Government to consider ensuring that petroleum cargoes coming into Lagos State are diverted to other ports across the country because the State is already congested.
Managing Director of NPA, Mallam Habib Abdullahi made this call in Lagos on Monday while addressing members of Senate Committee on Marine Transport led by its Chairman, Senator Sanni Yerima during a stakeholders meeting in Lagos.
Abdullahi said that the initial design of the ports in Lagos was not to handle the quantity of cargoes they are forced to handle presently. He called for removal of the petroleum tank farms from Apapa.
The NPA boss called on the Senators to look into how the ports can be connected to the rail systems in order to ease traffic, while also ensuring that petroleum products are circulated in the country through the use of pipelines and barges.
The NPA boss appealed that with the right policies and legislation, vessels would be stemmed to other neighbouring ports within the country, in order to curtail activities of petroleum tanker drivers, as well as the petroleum tank farms.
According to him, NPA is the most affected agencybecause a lot of man hours is being wasted on the roads.
"I want to appeal to this committee not to look at the transportation sector alone, but at other policies that affects the economy as well, especially the importation of petroleum products into the country"
"Must it be only Lagos, why can't we divert some vessels to other neighbouring ports, why can't we come up with new ideas like piping of these petroleum products, this will reduce a lot of vehicular movement around the ports", he stated.
He told the Senators that: "The port was built several years ago and anywhere there are port activities, there is huge economic and environmental effect. Apapa is now a commercial area with banks as well as other activities, the roads leading to the port now serve the West African sub region, because of the activities there is always congestion"
"You don't have to look at the roads alone, but at other factors, the rail transport and inter-modalism is very important, only if there is a connectivity with the rail system, the tankers would not be there"
He said that the transportation of petroleum products used to be done by railways but now tankers have taken away the use of the rails.
He said that the presence of tank farms is also contributing greatly to the traffic problems in Apapa.
Abdullahi charged the Federal Ministry of Works to fix the roads leading to the ports, arguing that it is their responsibility, even as he charged the Lagos State Government to ensure security of port users.
"I am happy the works ministry has owned up to their responsibility, it is their responsibility to take care of that road, it is also their responsibility of the Lagos government to provide security, and also the works to develop other connecting roads" he said
Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee, Senator Amori Igboyota noted that the Apapa port is the dirtiest port in the world and that there is no sane investor that can come into such a choked environment.
He charged maritime stakeholders to make representations to the committee to work with.
Igboyota assured that the committee is ready to work and that it is not going to be business as usual.
The Acting Director General of NIMASA, Haruna Baba Jauro and the Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Barr Hassan Bello also made presentations to the Senators.
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