The Federal Government should become more representative and exempt the maintenance or replacement of critical facilities from the Civil Service procurement processes in order to find a lasting solution to the dilapidated quay aprons of Tincan Island Port in Apapa, Lagos.
Godfrey Bivbere, President of Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) stated this in his opening speech while hosting major stakeholders in the maritime industry in Nigeria to breakfast meeting on Thursday, July 6, 2023.
Bivbere said “as a stakeholder in the industry is not only concerned about some of our collapsing quay aprons, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other official stakeholders, we know the effect of these failed infrastructure on the industry overall dynamics especially part operations”.
“By and large, the entire port community is affected one way or the other, beginning with the terminal operators who have to worry about production gap to the authority, that will most likely not be able to collect it’s projected dues, same for the Nigeria Customs Service, that can only collect customs duties and associated taxes on imported goods only on the reduced number of cargo ships that berth with a cumulative negatives on projections as well indeed on the capacity of the Federal Government to perform optimally, across board” he maintained.
Hon. Olubumi Olumekun, President of Barge Operators of Nigeria (BOAN), in his goodwill message decried the exorbitant rates being charge as taxes by the terminal operators in the port.
He said: “we don’t know why the NPA will sell their license to people that will harass us and frustrate our lives in barging operations, imagine BOAN members paying 250,000 naira for 40-feet, more than 70,000 for 20-feet and the same trucks that will carry your cargo from charges more than 200,000 naira and so on and when we complain, they say all this money is going to NPA”.
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“In addition to that, the NPA on their own part insisted that we pay 15 dollars per container we need to ask questions and be transparent in all our dealings” he stresses while calling for urgent way out of the present quagmire.
In his submission, Barrister Temisan Omatseye, former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) said: “Tincan Island has become a total mess because we are so dependent on this single port Nigeria because most of the cargoes coming and the impact of cargoes coming to Apapa and TinCan Island port has major impact, not only on the Apapa environment but the whole of Lagos State and the infrastructure in Tincan Island and Apapa ports is in a state of total collapse”.
“Why is everybody coming to Lagos for? Most financial vessels are not interested in going five degrees east because they considers it as unsafe, that is why everybody wants to come to either Tincan or Apapa port and now they are looking at Lekki Deep Seaport but in my opinion they will just be transferring the problems in Apapa to Lekki in the long run.
We need to find solutions as Nigerians and we cannot imagine the impact that the degeneration of the roles is causing. When a truck is going to pick up a container, its going to charge you demurrage and the owner of the truck will add that cost of demurrage to cost of goods and what you have at the end of the day is spiral impact on inflation at the end of the day. So we have to make sure that the ports and infrastructures are working perfectly” he opined.
While suggesting the way out of the present situation, the former NIMASA DG said: “If I have the opportunity in addressing this problem, I will close down Tincan and Apapa ports because we need to appreciate and the value of riverine transportation in Nigeria.”
“A mother vessel or container can still discharged and the cargoes can still be cleared by Customs at Tincan Island but from the inside, we empower the barge operators and ship owners to feed other ports. If I were to be in the position, I will not allow any terminal to operate here, I will shut all of them down, let everybody move to areas like Epe, Ikorodu where there is better road network than we currently have leading to the ports in Apapa. Why can’t we build a terminal for Ijebu Waterside and get the Ondo State government to do a dual carriage road straight to Ore. Once the cargo moves there, all these truck owners will follow suit. All these are aiming at saving Apapa and the Nigeria economy.
I keep saying it, NPA is losing money every day because cargoes are now moving to other ports because of the inefficiency in how the cargoes are being delayed at the port. NPA has the power to do a joint venture with barge operators and bring first class equipment. In my opinion, should not be open, we instead take smaller feeder vessel with 5.9metre valve to places like Warri, Koko, Oghara, Calabar and other areas because if you look at the cost of moving a trailer from Lagos to Onitsha, it cannot be the same as moving by water to look at the ports in Warri and Koko sitting down there with no activity, I do not see why NPA cannot ask terminal operators to make use of these areas to receive empty container and then move them back to Lagos by water.
Mind you I am not saying we should take Lagos ports out of the game, Lagos can be used to receive goods from other countries after which transport the goods to other ports, this I believe will bring sanity into the maritime business in Nigeria” he concluded.
Guest Speaker of the occasion, Alhaji Muhammed Bello-Koko, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, who was represented by the General Manager Mr. Ayodele Durowaiye disclosed that NPA has exploits various options to find a sustainable solutions that will work for all and they are taking steps in ensuring everything works for the better in maritime industry.
He however commended MARAN’s resilience in ensuring things work for the better in the maritime industry.
Meanwhile, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, President-General Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria appealed to the new administration to appoint a technocrat, an insider to head the NPA so as to put things in proper perspective.
According to him, “Port operation is an international business and should be handle by professionals who knows what it takes to manage it”
Highlights of the event was the inauguration of the new executive of MARAN headed by the President, Mr. Godfrey Bivbere who took an oath of office as they were given the mandate to steer the affairs of the association for the next three years.
Dignitaries present at the event includes Rt. Hon. Emmanuel Jime, Executive Secretary Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Chief Eugene Nweke, Chief Isaac Jolapamo, Mr. Rotimi Anifiwoshe, representatives from Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) among others.
By Ajibola Adedoye