Delta South senatorial candidate under the All Democratic Congress (ADC), Barr Temisan Omatseye has proffered solutions to the Apapa port gridlock, saying if elected to represent his people, he will ensure that all empty containers in Apapa Port will be diverted to Warri Port.
Barr Omatseye who spoke to our correspondent in an interview at his villa in Warri said diversion of empty containers to Warri Port will not only ease the traffic logjam in Apapa area but will also boost the economic activities in Warri and its environs.
Omatseye who was a former Director General of Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) commended the Federal Government for dredging the Warri River saying it will enable bigger ships to come to the port and provide jobs for the youths.
He lamented that Intels Nigeria Limited have acquired a large space in the Warri Ports and its doing nothing with the land.
The Delta South Senatorial candidate also revealed that people were forced to pay the sum of 200 dollars as demorage for empty containers at the ports, advising that more money will be saved if those containers were diverted to Warri Port.
“I am hoping that by going to the Senate with my background as the former DG of NIMASA and knowing what it entails in the shopping and logistics area, my expectation is very easy. I am very happy that the Edo State governor is building the Benin River Port which is going to be have a trickling effect on Delta State because you cannot talk about Edo without Delta.
“I am also happy that the federal government has dredged the Warri Port up to 7.5 meters which will enable us to move traffic from Lagos Port to Warri Port.
“We have a situation in Warri Port whereby a large section of land has been taken over by Intel and they have not put in anything. Why don’t they use Warri Port at a receiving port for empty containers. You can reduce the kind of traffic we have in Lagos. We need to diversify our logistics arrangement.
“Rather than paying 200 dollars as demorage why don’t we bring these empty containers to Warri Port and lessen the traffic in Lagos,” Omatseye said.
The ADC senatorial candidate also said if given the opportunity to represent his people at the Senate he is going to push for a Coast Guard bill which will allow youths in the Niger Delta region gain employment.
He said, “If elected as a senator, I am going to push for a Coast Guard bill which will allow us see how we are going to use our young men living in the Niger Delta region to act at a Coast Guard forces under the employment of NIMASA.
“So, rather than using our youths for the so called pipeline surveillance thing, we should use the youths as Coast Guard instead. These our youths engaged in militancy because they need to fend for their families. If we make them Coast Guards the issue of militancy will be a thing of the past.”
Speaking on why he is joining the senatorial race, Barr Omatseye said, “My reason for trying to be in the race is for us to bring back some level of confidence on governance because the people feel they have lost confidence in the government and they are not getting what they are supposed to get out of the dividends of democracy.”
Francis Sadhere, Warri
