Truck owners operating at the Lagos seaports have commended the federal government for concessioning the seaports, saying that operators can now easily get access for their vehicles out of the ports within few hours.
The seaport haulage operators have also appealed to the concessionaires to invest more in infrastructures to encourage fast movement of their vehicles with consignments out of the ports.
Truck owners operating at the Lagos seaports have commended the federal government for concessioning the seaports, saying that operators can now easily get access for their vehicles out of the ports within few hours.
The seaport haulage operators have also appealed to the concessionaires to invest more in infrastructures to encourage fast movement of their vehicles with consignments out of the ports.
According to the truckers, there has been massive improvement in the movement of vehicles most especially trucks that have consignments to lift from the terminals as against what was obtainable in the past.
The transporters have also disclosed that concessioning the port in 2006 has brought about effective and reliable freighting of consignments to their final destinations.
Speaking with Auto Port Weekly in Lagos last week, Chairman Tin Can Island port chapter of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Alhaji Isiaka Olalere stated that port reforms has added value to the haulage trucks operating in the seaport.
The RTEAN chieftain added that previously, trucks spend close to a week before exiting the ports, but added that the story has changed under the concession arrangement.
Olalere said that there has been massive roads development of the two ports which in turn has made vehicles ply the without hitches.
He recalled that during the military junta, the ports access roads were inaccessible, adding that the poor conditions of the roads made vehicles to develop technical hitches while loaded with cargoes.
He noted that there is the need for the concessionaires to upgrade their road network, stating that things have changed as against when the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) was in charge of the ports.
Another truck owner; Chibuzor Chigozie told our correspondent that apart from the poor condition of Lagos roads, the terminal operators have lived up to their billings.
He recalled that in time past, vehicles spend days to lift consignments from the ports, but as at today, “things have changed because the ports are better organised and vehicles can now lift containers out of the terminals with ease”.
The truck owner however appealed to federal and state governments to fix the roads within the ports environs, because according to him, vehicles can only be durable when the roads are in good shape.
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