Watch video through the link below: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18iqSgst88/
By Ewrhujakpor Godfrey Bivbere
Harboursandport.com: Lagos, Nigeria - May 21, 2026: Unless the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, the Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC, and terminal operators work together urgently, a major accident involving rail services and trucks within port terminals may soon occur.
Terminals, particularly those operated by Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited, ABTL, have developed a habit of blocking rail tracks with trucks. This often forces rail coaches carrying between 50 and 100 containers to wait for 20 minutes or more before being granted access.
Such a situation was observed by Harboursandport.com on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, when two trains carrying a combined cargo of 36 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) and 32 FEUs (Forty-foot Equivalent Units) were delayed for nearly 30 minutes. The trains, numbered 2302 and 418-102, approached the terminal gate at about 4:33 p.m. at snail speed.
While train 418-102 was cleared almost immediately, train 2302 was forced to wait for over 20 minutes and was still waiting as of the time reporters left the scene. The contents of the containers could not be confirmed, whether empty or export-laden.
When contacted, Ikechukwu Onyemekara, General Manager of NPA, described the disruption as abnormal. He stressed that train movements in and out of the port should not face any obstruction. Onyemekara, however, said it was important to hear from the terminal operator’s management as well as the Port Manager.
Efforts to reach Adebowale Lawal Ibrahim, Port Manager of Lagos Port Complex, proved abortive. Calls were not answered, and WhatsApp messages sent to him—though read—received no response.
Meanwhile, Festus Omotoyibo, Managing Director of Apapa Bulk Terminal Limited, told Harboursandport.com that the company is collaborating with stakeholders to ensure seamless train movement in and out of the port. He insisted that his company could not have been responsible for the disruption.
Omotoyibo promised to investigate the incident but suggested that the delay may have occurred because the NRC failed to provide the terminal with advance information about the train’s arrival time.
Similarly, efforts to reach the Managing Director of NRC, Kayode Opeifa, as he could not be reached on phone neither did he respond to Whatsapp message sent to him.
Industry observers warn that unless coordination between the NPA, NRC, and terminal operators improves, the risk of a collision between trains and trucks within the congested Apapa port environment remains high.
The incident underscores the urgent need for better communication and operational discipline to safeguard rail haulage and ensure cargo movement remains efficient and safe.
Click video link to watch the train arriving. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18iqSgst88/
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