#EndSARS: Rush to clear backlog of cargoes, return empty containers worsens traffic on Apapa roads

Two weeks after the nationwide #EndSARS protest against police brutality in Nigeria, the Apapa port city is presently witnessing its worse traffic jam following the rush by cargo owners to clear backlog of containers trapped in the port due to week-long disruption of business activities at the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports.

BusinessDay recent visit to the ports shows that there were long queue of trucks and trailers on the port roads struggling to have access into the ports through the Apapa-Wharf Road, which continued to impede movement of vehicles in and out of Apapa.

As a result, motorists and commuters on their personal businesses spend longer man-hour of between three and four hours on the Apapa-Wharf Road in order to have access to their offices in Apapa area.

Meanwhile, there seems to be near free movement on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway even as long queue of empty container carrying trucks were seen trying to have access into the port terminals from the Second-Gate axis of the road.

Confirming this, Tony Anakebe, managing director of Gold-Link Investment Limited, said the five days of operational disruption in the ports in Lagos contributed to the lingering congestion problems in the ports, which had resulted to poor turnaround time of vessels, longer dwell time of cargoes and high yard occupancy rate at the ports.

“There has been a total blockage of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway from the Coconut axis of the road. This means that empty containers are not allowed to have access into the Tin-Can Island Port from the Coconut axis due to the ongoing construction works on the road. The situation also affects trucks with laden containers because they were also not able to exit the port through Apapa-Oshodi Expressway,” he said in a phone interview.

According to Anakebe, this has helped to worsen the traffic jam on the Apapa-Wharf Road, which has practically become the only access and exit road in and out of Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports.

There has been much delay in cargo clearing at the port due to duplication of function by government agencies, and most of them now insist on 100 percent physical examination of goods, which is time consuming, Anakebe however said.

Citing example, he said agencies such as National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDELA) now insist on 100 percent physical examination of pharmaceutical goods after the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the original regulator of drug imports, had released the goods.

Jonathan Nicol, president of Shippers Association of Lagos State, who pointed out that containers were trapped in the port due to the inability of trucks to evacuate cargo during the week-long nationwide protest, also said the situation makes it difficult for laden containers with goods to be cleared at the port.

According to Nicol, importers are now losing heavily to high cost of doing business associated with payment of demurrage and storage charges to shipping companies and terminal operators due to service disruption at the ports in Lagos.

“It has not been good for the maritime industry in recent times. The environment is not conducive for normal business. Operators are working under very stressful and abnormal conditions. Cargo is much in the ports today but importers cannot access their cargoes,” he said.

Nicol however disclosed that truckers were presently nursing the idea of increasing the cost of transporting containers due to the delays encountered while trying to access the port for loading of laden containers and dropping of empties.

Ibrahim Tanko, national coordinator, 100 percent Compliance Team of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), said the #EndSARS protest by Nigerian youths resulted to laden cargoes being trapped inside the ports while empty containers were also not returned as and when due.

He however observed that shipping companies and terminal operators had already started charging storage and demurrage for the period of #EndSARS protest.