Customs clearing agents and Amalgamation of Trucking Associations will
from today shut down process of clearance of goods from the Lagos ports and
evacuation of cargoes by withdrawing their services over unmotorable port
access roads and other difficulties faced at the ports.
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| Bad Lagos port access road. Pix by Harboursandports |
Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA have joined the
truckers to ensure effective enforcement of the action.
National President of ANLCA, Prince Olayewola Shittu, said that
the action will continue until the port access roads are fixed.
Shittu said several pleas to government to fix the road in the past have
fallen on deaf ear. He noted that there would be no going back on until
government take action.
According to him, “We are going ahead (with the strike). We will
withdraw our services, we will not work. Although some of our people are
holding meeting with government officials now but I know that we cannot just
turn round like that, no way.
“I am feeling particularly bad because the road we are fighting for was
where a maritime journalist was killed. Maritime journalists should give
publicity to what we are doing, not for my sake but for the sake of the
industry in general.
“Before we can even sit down and talk of all the other many issues, they
must have to fix that road”.
Recall that a notice of withdrawal of service signed by the chairman of
the Amalgamation, Comrade Victor Nnyosum, was sent to major stakeholders in
Apapa include the Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and
Safety Agency, NIMASA, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, General
Manager Western ports of Nigerian Ports Authority, Area Commandant of Area B
Police and Port police.
Nnyosum hinted that the joint body resolved to commence withdrawal of
service as a result of the deplorable states of the Tin Can/Apapa roads which
they claimed have been responsible for the destruction of trucks, goods and
even loss of lives.
Recall also that the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola,
said in 2015 that Apapa road rehabilitation was not in the 2015 budget
promising that it would be included in the 2016 budget.
However, nothing was done on the roads in 2016 even as the failed
Apapa/ Tin Can roads are still begging for rehabilitation in 2017.
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