Following the recent passage and gazette of the Lagos road traffic law and which restricts movement of container- laden trucks, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria [RTEAN] has predicted that the new law will cripple activities at the Lagos seaport and also negatively affect the nation’s economy.
Following the recent passage and gazette of the Lagos road traffic law and which restricts movement of container- laden trucks, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria [RTEAN] has predicted that the new law will cripple activities at the Lagos seaport and also negatively affect the nation’s economy.
Former Chairman, Tin Can Island Chapter of the association, Comrade Sylvester Keshinro disclosed that if the governor of Lagos; Babatunde Fashola does not take a second look at the new law, it will definitely affect the smooth flow of trucks and cargoes in and out of the Lagos ports.
Keshinro told Shipping Position Daily in Lagos on Monday that there is need for the State Governor to rethink the new law, adding that it is a way of crippling the smooth flow of consignments from the ports in the state.
He noted that with the new law, both the Tin Can Island port and the Lagos Port Complex will experience high level of congestion that could hinder the distributive chain process of goods to its final consumers.
The RTEAN chieftain added that with the new policy ,most of the vessels met to discharge consignment in the Lagos ports might divert to neighbouring ports in West Africa in order to avoid congestion.
‘’It is important to note that vessels will not be able to off-load because there will be no space for the consignment, so automatically they will be forced to transfer their ships to neighbouring countries and that is why I am saying it will ruin the economy of the country’’, he lamented.
He said that the new traffic law as it concerns movement of trucks will also present an addition task for the government agencies at the Lagos seaports, stressing that there will be delay in the distribution of goods to the companies that rely on importation.
‘’The new traffic law concerning the movement of trucks and trailers will bring back congestion in the ports and also ruin the economy of the country because some factory will close down because of the shortage and delay in supply of some imported raw materials meant for production’’.
He went further to say that, ‘’from the way it is going, I do not think that the Governor will allow that part of the law to stay for a long time and I know he will have a re-think about it’’, he predicted.
He also added that the 48-hour clearance of goods from the two major ports in the nation can no longer be achieved due to the new policy on the restriction of container laden- trucks on the Lagos roads.
He urged Governor Babatunde Fashola to deliberate on the issue so that vessels meant for the country will not divert to other West Africa ports due to delay in the Lagos ports.
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