Efforts to tackle the persistent gridlock at Nigeria’s ports have seen a significant breakthrough with the successful completion two months after the minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, reached out to his counterpart at the ministry of Works, Dave Umahi, over the need to fix failed portions of ports’ access roads
Oyetola, who disclosed this on Wednesday evening, while debriefing members of his technical team, expressed optimism that access roads to other ports in the country would be fixed soon.
Recall that the minister had in December, 2023, written to the works minister, appealing to him to assist in fixing the access roads leading to the seaports in the country as part of measures to not only resolve the gridlock on that corridor but to increase ports efficiency and aid the country’s economic growth.
In response to the minister’s appeal, the Works minister, in a letter to his counterpart, dated February 14, 2024, titled “Re: Urgent Request for Rehabilitation of the Federal Access Roads to Key Ports,” noted that “the access road to Tincan Port, Lagos has been successfully completed.”
He also noted that, “the ministry has awarded a contract for the rehabilitation of the access road to Lagos Port Complex in Lagos State, ” adding that the contractor would soon mobilise to site.
On the access road to Onne Port in Rivers State, the works minister noted that the contract for the reconstruction of the road was already being processed and that it would soon be awarded, saying “the Federal Ministry of Works also understands the socio-economic importance of these roads leading to the ports in Nigeria and that necessitated the proactive steps we took.”
Oyetola commended the proactive measures taken by the Works minister and expressed gratitude for his contribution to improving the Ease of Doing Business at the country’s ports.
He noted that once they are done fixing the dilapidated port access roads, importers and exporters would no longer experience high transportation costs, prolonged transit times, and heightened risk of accidents, adding that “our foreign investment will increase, and our international trade competencies will also be enhanced.
