Ossy Ezeweiyinya (P.R.O, International Freight Forwarders)
Ossy Ezeweiyinya (P.R.O, International Freight Forwarders)
Lillypond Container Terminal is a subsidiary of AP Moller, but I am surprised that after a while they stopped sending containers to that place. I don’t know what happened, but I am surprised because we know that we are having some problems here in Apapa port, it is always filled up, so why not send some containers to Lillypond as an outlet and a subsidiary of APMT. So, who else must have killed the terminal if not APMT, they are the ones that are supposed to be operating it, but they have refused to give them containers. Some Nigerians are working at that terminal and what this means is that these people will be thrown out of jobs, secondly, the place serves as an outlet to solve the continuous congestion we used to have here, but now when port congestion comes again we will have nothing to do. If you come to load containers at APMT, most of the times they will tell you they do not have enough equipment to pick the containers, I see it as a rip off on Nigerians because they know what they are doing, if the container stayed for three days and it’s not taken you are going to pay the demurrage, so they are not bothered.
Rev. Emmanuel Agunbanze (Lillypond Chapter Chair, NAGAFF)
What we see happening at Lillypond terminal today is a kind of development that has to do with something you got wrong at the initial stage, at the initial stage the concessioning agreement was not proper in the sense that you cannot concession a terminal without providing for the terminal. Lillypond is supposed to be concessioned to a carrier so that they will have their own vessel to feed the terminal because in this case now everything is at the whims and caprices of APMT. To some extent the APMT killed the terminal, but if you look at it again they didn’t, Nigerian policy makers are supposed to protect our investments here in Nigeria, APMT is a foreign firm, if they had not being given that latitude unchecked as a result of corruption these things would not have happened; APMT is responsible but I blame the BPE and others involved in the concession exercise because they are the ones that caused the mess. The effect of this is going to tell on business men, freight forwarders and so on but we are not disturbed because we know that other firms are ready to come in.
Barrister Osuala Nwagbara (Maritime lawyer)
I am surprised that the operators of Lillypond terminal says that they are pulling out, I am aware that the company is an affiliate of Maersk Line just like APMT is an affiliate of Maersk Line. I think what is happening to them is an internal problem, I don’t see how they are complaining that there is not enough spill over of containers to keep them in business, it is unbelievable and I think what they are having is management problem, I think there is a problem in the Group because I know that APMT handles more than enough containers, if APMT can feed other off-dock terminals, I don’t see why their own affiliate should not have enough in terms of inflow of containers. The implication of the pulling out is that workers in the organization will all be laid off, I believe that the management of APMT can come to their rescue, stem more containers to them and save the work of Nigerians, we don’t want to see people going into unemployment market.
Chief Eugene Nweke (NAGAFF President)
The Nigerian government through the Nigerian Port Authority and the BPE is to be blamed because they never carried out extensive the cost analysis, evaluation of cost as well as the feasibility study of the port. They just concessioned it because it was under NPA and because they needed money, proper evaluation was not carried out, they should have known that the terminal should have served and be better used as an off-dock terminal for APMT, but here we are that the BPE gave the sister company an off-dock terminal to manage and the other company the main port to manage. Port concessioning is not to serve the interest of those in power; it is supposed to serve the interest of concessionaires, the port authority, with Nigerians as the beneficiaries. This pulling out will create room for wider public sector monopoly and you know what that means, there will be high handedness and high cost of doing business, it means that we will go back to status quo, government will not be generating prompt revenue as expected, secondly there will be constant prediction of cargo congestion, it will rear its ugly head because the space you are supposed to use have been piled up with cargo while expansion project is ongoing.
Prince Taiye Oyeniyi (BoT ANLCA)
There was a deliberate attempt on the part of APMT to kill Lillypond terminal. As it stands now APMT is gradually in control of the maritime sector now. Why stacking of containers at Apapa for two, three and four height when that place is lying fallow, they refused to fill that place with containers even as loads of containers are at APMT. They have dominated the sector and they are going to kill it gradually ,what they are doing is window dressing, because if they want to position a container at Apapa port, you will be given two weeks and nobody is asking questions.
Chief Osita Chukwu Patrick (Coordinator SNFFIEC)
It has to do with greed and selfishness on the part of APMT. The Nigeria Customs Service is also involved in the death of Lillypond. I don't see any reason why you cannot decentralised the scope of your entire business and at least allow free flow of containers. APMT jam packed the whole port with containers and Lillypond is there empty. Inconsistency and inefficiency killed the off-dock terminal at Ijora and that is the truth.
Eniola Odulaja (Stakeholder)
The government killed Lillypond and when I say government I mean the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) because after concessioning of the ports in 2006,the government should have put in place mechanism whereby the concessionaire must feed Lillypond with containers, but nothing of such was done. So I stand strongly to say that NPA led to the collapse of that place and it has nothing to do with the terminal operator because they are not regulated as they ought to.
Dr. Boniface Aniebonam (Founder NAGAFF)
The actions of the management team of Lillypond is honourable and justified because the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) failed to monitor the activities of the terminal and the terminal cannot run for a whole year without making profit. Lillypond terminal started having challenges when APMT stopped the moving of cargoes to Ijora. APMT prefers to keep the cargoes in order for importers to pay for storage facility and the government is not living up to expectations because it lacks the ability to monitor the contract given to the investors.
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