Failed Apapa roads affected our revenue ---NPA

Harboursandport: Lagos ---- The failed portion of Apapa road that affected the movement of containers in and out of the ports has affected revenue accruable to the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Managing Director, Hadiza Bala Usman has said.

Usman informed stakeholders and port users said the present state of infrastructure affected the swift evacuation of cargo from the seaports across the country to the hinterlands.

Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority,
NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman 

To this end, she noted that the Authority is working at improving the infrastructure to meet world class standards towards ensuring evacuation of cargoes through the rail lines.

A press statement signed by General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications, A.A Goji, noted that Usman stressed that management was fully aware of the state of congestion in the Ports caused by the bad roads within the Port axis.

This she regretted has led to a reduction in revenue accruable to the Organisation as well as the inability of the nation to maximize her potential asa major player in the Maritime sector within the Sub-Saharan Africa.

Hadiza represented by the General Manager Managing Director’s Office, Captain Iheanacho Ebubeogu made these remarks while on a facility maintenance inspection of  the state of the rail lines in the Ports accompanied by the top echelon of the Nigerian Railway Corporation [NRC] led by its Director OfOperations Niyi Alli to Terminals within the Apapa corridor over the weekend.

Quoting the Managing Director’s Representatives, ‘’ Management would collaborate and improve on the existing synergy with the NRC at addressing the challenges facing the Corporation with a view to increasing the market size of the country in the area of Cargo evacuation ‘’.

Similarly, Managing Director of Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, Mr Fidet Okhiria, after the inspection tour stated that the working visit was to assess the present state of the rail lines in order to further collaborate with the NPA in the area of rehabilitation.

The Railway helmsman who was represented by the Director Operations, Mr Niyi Alli, noted that the rail service would be optimally utilized for Cargo evacuation in line with the Federal Government’s policy of Ease of Doing Business in the country. He stated that plans are being concluded by putting into operation between 15- 20 Locomotive Wagons with each evacuating 20 units of 40 footer container at a go from the Terminals to the hinterland.

It would be recalled the Honorable Minister of Transportation Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi, recently instituted a Committee comprising the Managing Directors ofNPA and NRC as well as their top echelon to carry out on the spot assessment of the present state of infrastructure of the rail lines in the Terminals. It is expected that the rehabilitations would further go a long way towards the swift evacuation of Cargo from the Ports.