…As Fed Gov’t set to revive other seaports in few months, to contain Apapa gridlock***
The lengthy bureaucratic process for land allocation by state governments is the major challenge to the construction of truck holding bays, otherwise known as truck transit parks, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council has said.
According to the council, bureaucracies in states hinder public private partnership, which is one of the best ways to deliver truck parks across the country.
The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, NSC, Hassan Bello, who disclosed this at the second quarter 2018 PPP Unit Consultative Forum in Abuja on Thursday, noted that the lack of adequate truck parks was contributory to the endemic traffic gridlock in Apapa, Lagos.
He said, “The endemic traffic gridlock in Apapa, which has locked down Lagos for some weeks now, should be a challenge not only to maritime agencies, but to us all. The Nigerian Shippers’ Council truck transit parks project, or more precisely, truck holding bays, with electronic call up system is one of a combination of solutions that can address the situation.
“These can be delivered by way of PPP without putting a strain on government finances. Regrettably, PPPs are fraught with several challenges, notably bureaucratic and lengthy process for land allocation by state governments.”
Hassan, whose speech was read by the Deputy Director, Abuja Liaison Office, NSC, Ekpeyon, Eke, added, “We shall, however, not rest on our laurels. We are continuously engaging with all relevant stakeholders to fast-track the projects and we have no doubt that these projects will be delivered in the not too distant future.”
He observed that Nigeria’s infrastructure needs were critical and “there is no gainsaying that PPP is the way to go in delivering projects for the benefit of the people.”
The Acting Director-General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, Chidi Izuwah, stated that through the forum, different agencies of government had been able to know the various activities that were going on in the organisations as a result of PPP.
“You will agree with me that this forum has made it possible for us to continue to know what is happening across Federal Government MDAs on their PPP projects by reason of their submissions in the afternoon business sessions,” Izuwah stated.
He said the ICRC recently issued compliance certificates for Public-Private Participant projects to the Federal Ministry of Transportation and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Izuwah said, “In keeping with our regulatory mandate, we have issued 10 Outline Business Case and four Full Business Case compliance certificates to date.
“These compliance certificates include the one for farm mechanisation pilot PPP project with John Deere, which was flagged of by the Minister of Agriculture; and that of the national carrier project, Nigeria Air, which was recently unveiled at the Farnborough Air Show, among others.”
In the meantime, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) yesterday said plans were underway for the decentralisation of the country’s seaports.
Osinbajo spoke in Lagos at a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the traffic congestion in Apapa and its consequences on the people and nation.
According to him, the government had put in place maritime security arrangement for all areas, adding that the other ports (Calabar, Port Harcourt, Warri, Sapele, Koko) would be frequently used in a couple of months.
Osinbajo said: “Security situations in the past hindered operations of the other ports in the country. But now, the government had approved maritime security arrangement for all areas and within a couple of months, these ports would be frequently used.”
The Vice President also blamed the Federal Ministries of Works and Transportation as well as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for the worrisome situation of things in Apapa axis, noting that there was no excuse on the part of government.
Osinbajo assured Nigerians that all approvals said to be delaying the repairs and building of the bad roads would be gotten within two weeks.
He said: “We are working hard to get approvals to do all the roads, especially Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and Mile Two to Liverpool. We are trying to look at immediate steps that could be taken to speed up the process.
“We will get all approvals within two weeks to do the work. We know the state of the road, especially Coconut, Tin Can Island, Warehouse, Leventis and Creek Road.
“Also, the government has entered into talks with a new contractor for the refurbishment of the narrow gauge rail, which would take some of these containers out of port area.
There was an earlier arrangement with General Electric (GE), but that did not yield result.”
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode described the situation as a national emergency, decrying the presence of 86 tank farms within Apapa.
He urged the Federal Government to make other ports functional so that some importation would be moved there, thereby developing the Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs) of the states.
According to Ambode, although Lagos State was generating resources from the activities of ports, it was spending a lot of money, which could have been used in building hospitals, other social amenities for road and bridges repairs.
Noting that the issue was not within his jurisdiction, Ambode said from information he received, the NPA, Ministry of Transportation and Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) should be urged to operate from the three port gates.
Ambode said: “This issue is not within my jurisdiction. So, I will plead with the NPA, Ministry of Transportation and Customs. From intelligence gathered, Customs only operate on one gate and there are three gates at the port.
“This is making us not have good inflow and outflow. Allowing trucks to operate from the three gates will create efficiency in operation.
“There is also need to talk to the Minister of Petroleum (Muhammadu Buhari) to review why there are 86 tank farms within Apapa and they have proceeded to approve another eight at Ijegun.
“These are residential areas. Where are things like these done? It means there is a problem somewhere. How did we get to a stage where a residential axis is compounded with tank farms, ignoring the essential national security challenges that might arise from it?
“We need to relocate these tank farms to border towns and then, we ensure our pipelines are working. With this, products can be moved from Atlas Cove to other places.
“Moreover, most of these tank farms do not have loading bays. Do they? You cannot have six to eight outlets and tankers will be parking on or under bridges. How much do you pay in tax that you will now be inconveniencing others?”
Minister for Transportation Rotimi Amaechi the solution to the bedlam was use of technology.
Amaechi also supported the decentralisation of seaports, noting that concentrating import activities in Lagos was fuelling the problem.
He said: “We have had stakeholder meetings. We have discovered that a similar problem was experienced in Iraq and Jordan. Also, all Nigerians cannot import through one place.
“We have six ports across the country and so, if all of the imports come through Lagos, that certainly will not work. We cannot have these kinds of trucks we see on the road coming to the sea port.
“We need to discipline the terminal operators because they are law unto themselves.”
Setting the tone for the deliberation, the Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) BEECROFT, Commodore Okon Eyo, said the gridlock was caused by use of rickety vehicles by transporters, indiscipline of road users and bad roads.
Also at the meeting were representatives from the Ministry of Works and Housing, PTML, Apapa Residents Association, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG) workers, APMT, Nigerian Navy, the police and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and AMARTO, among others.
Port concession agreement may be revoked
The Federal Government might revoke the seaports concession agreement it entered into with terminal operators during ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.
Minster for Transportation Rotimi Amaechi said this yesterday during the stakeholders’ meeting on the lingering bedlam occasioned by activities of truck drivers to and from Apapa seaport.
The meeting, which was chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), was held at the headquarters, Western Naval Command (WNC), Apapa.
According to Amaechi, he would submit the issue to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for a possible revocation of the concessions because the concessionaires were not sticking to the terms of operation.
He said: “Concessioners not sticking to terms of agreement. We might have to go back to the FEC to ask for a revoke of the concessions. We are currently reviewing the concession agreement.”
But, the stakeholders at the meeting blamed the shipping companies, tank farm owners as well as the Federal Ministry of Works for the congestion, noting that while the company and tank farm operators had refused to operate holding bays for their trucks, the ministry was too slow in repairing bad portions of the roads.
They also accused the shipping firms of deliberately fuelling the traffic through its demurrage policy, which makes empty containers flood the roads so that they could beat deadlines and collect their money.
According to the Managing Director, Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman, the shipping companies were acting in disregard of the law.
Punch with additional report from The Nation
