By Cliffsimeon Akalonu,
The
Nigerian International Maritime Ports and Terminals (NIMPORT), a port and
terminal promotion organization, has appealed to the Federal Government to
ensure seamless connectivity for cargo and human traffic in the Nigerian ports.
The NIMPORT Chairman, Mr Fortune Idu, dropped the appeal at the NIMPORT Conference
& Expo in Lagos recently.
He
tasked the Nigerian government to prioritise connectivity, from the port to the
hinterland. According to him, only seamless connectivity for cargo and human
traffic will actually help the country achieve its potential.
The Minister of Transportation should not relent in moving the sector forward.
There should be no politicking about connectivity. We can achieve the
decongestion of Lagos and pull people out of Lagos into neighbouring states
such as Ogun and Oyo by making the railways work.
He said the rail projects should be completed as quickly as possible.”
Mr. Idu, stressed that the sector was hoping and aspiring to see a Lagos
without container traffic, saying that having containers dropping off bridges
in a busy and populated city like Lagos was appalling and unthinkable.
He urged the Lagos state government and the Federal Government to work closely
and ensure that Lagos is rid of container traffic. Bulk breaking of container
content should be done outside the main commercial city of Lagos and that can
only be achieved with real connectivity and where you have inland terminals and
rail stations around Lagos.
Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), at the four day Nigeria International Maritime
Port and Terminal (NIMPORT) Conference and Expo, with the theme: ”Fostering
Africa’s Global Trade Competitiveness and the Role of the Ports”, said
that, NIMPORT was aimed at creating a multi-sector platform for bridging the
divide and connecting all sub-sectors in the chain of logistics solutions for manufacturers,
shippers and consumers.
The NPA Managing Director Hadiza Usman, said Nigerian ports are undergoing some
infrastructural and institutional reforms, preparatory to ensuring
seamless connectivity.
“Inftrastructural investment will give opportunity to link critical hinterland
through rails, waterways and also the rehabilitation of roads leading to ports
and deliberate policy should be put in place to improve the transport sector.
Investment in infrastructure with the signing of the Africa Continental Free
Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement is aimed at integrating the economy of the
country and remove barriers,” she said.