The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has called for the adoption of the New York-New Jersey model for the management of roads leading to the nation’s economic gateways, the seaports.
The NPA said the roads leading to the seaports in New York-New Jersey and their environs are managed by the Ports Authority.
Speaking at a recent NESG pre-summit event, tagged, ‘Sailing to Success: Harnessing Nigeria’s Maritime Potential,’ Ayo Durowaiye, general manager, managing director’s office at the NPA, said the roads leading to seaports in Nigeria can as well be handed over to the NPA which understands the needs of the port and how to tackle them.
Contrary, Durowaiye said in Nigeria, the roads leading to the ports are managed by the Ministry of Works, which limits the interference of the Ports Authority even when it has the resources to manage the situation.
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He said the Tin-Can Port contributes hundreds of billions of Naira in revenue to the national economy, which can become an enabler in fixing the problems with the road.
Acknowledging that the Federal Government has expended enormous resources to rebuild the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway but in addition, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) deployed the electronic call-up system and eased up movement in and out of the port.
He said the electronic call-up system has helped to improve the turnaround time of trucks going in and out of the port and also reduced the cost of haulage from the port to the importer’s warehouse, which escalated at the peak of Apapa traffic gridlock.
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According to him, the NPA uses an electronic call-up system to control the trucks that access the port but has no jurisdiction over tankers going to the tank farms.
He disclosed that the Lagos State Government said it would deploy an electronic call-up system for tankers, which has not been actualised and the tankers are the one’s parking on the Tin-Can axis.
Citing an example, Dangote used the tax revenue to rebuild the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway only for the road to be taken over by trucks and trailers, particularly tankers accessing the tank farms.
BusinessDay understands that the Apapa inbound lane of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway is always inaccessible, especially between Mile 2 and Tin-Can Port Second Gate. The tankers and trucks are always parked such that vehicles only make use of the outbound Apapa to Mile 2 lane to go in and out of Apapa.
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As a result, only commercial buses are allowed to use the one-way drive while private cars that ply one-way are usually impounded and forced to pay N50,000 for towing.
Ronke Kosoko, the moderator, expressed sadness over the road situation despite the fact that Dangote has rebuilt the road using concrete technology.
