Following the recent proclamation by the Federal Government that it is not contemplating the relocation of the various tank farms located at the Coconut end of Apapa Lagos, a maritime expert, Mr. Eugene Nweke has advised that the only way to put an end to the recurring traffic gridlock along the Apapa- Oshodi expressway is through the relocation of the various tank farms located the area.
Following the recent proclamation by the Federal Government that it is not contemplating the relocation of the various tank farms located at the Coconut end of Apapa Lagos, a maritime expert, Mr. Eugene Nweke has advised that the only way to put an end to the recurring traffic gridlock along the Apapa- Oshodi expressway is through the relocation of the various tank farms located the area.
Eugene who is also the National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) condemned the recently- constituted Presidential Committee on Port Reform saying that all the steps taken by the committee so far cannot lead to lasting solution to the problem of traffic gridlock which inhibits speedy cargo clearance at the nation’s seaports.
Speaking exclusively to Shipping Position Daily in his office last week, the NAGAFF president said that the only way out of the Apapa traffic gridlock is through the relocation of all the tank farms that are located along the Ibafon end of Apapa as well as the ones scattered inside the popular Ibru yard.
Nweke suggested that the tank farms should be moved to the Snake Island end of Apapa and away from the expressway, while a separate route should be devised for the moving of petroleum tankers going in and out to load the products.
“The committee should prevail on government that in the next three months, every tank farm should relocate”, he stressed.
“I can show you pictorials of port planning and hardly would you see tank farms scattered around like this, all these tank farms are supposed to be situated around Snake Island. Government should evacuate the people there and give the place to the tank farms to develop, then let them device another route to be moving their petroleum tankers in and out” he advised.
Alternatively, he suggested that the government should also consider the construction of another access lane entirely and which will be dedicated to the petroleum tankers in which a bridge should be constructed at the exit end of Kirikiri, this according to him will serve as an exit for them.
Eugene also advised that the various terminal operators at the nation’s seaports must be prevailed upon to widen and automate their entry gates, “this gives room for receiving, planning and outgoing planning so that drivers will not just drive in anyhow”.
He confided in our correspondent that some of the steps being taken by the presidential committee are those he has written and advised them upon.
“I have done a position paper to the presidential committee and to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) on this issue, part of the things you see them doing is what I have advised them on, the terminal operators do not want to invest seriously on things that will create efficiency at the port” he observed.
Furthermore, Eugene advised that in order to ensure efficient movement of petroleum products around the country, the government should in addition to the recently commissioned brand new sets of pressured tanks, refurbish the old tanks that were formally in use.
“We are still hearing that the rail will soon take off, when it commences, are we going to depend on coaches for passengers only? What about raw materials and tankers? This is another aspect of concessioning that must be considered, there must be infrastructures on ground before any investor will consider going into the sector”.
“We have many rail tracks in the past, it is a matter of refurbishing them and putting them back into use, there are so many of them at the dockyard in Apapa” he said.
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