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Rear Admiral SAG Abbah, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, is under pressure to end his good work of effectively managing the traffic and insecurity menace in Apapa and its environs, BusinessDay has learnt.
At a stakeholders meeting held in Lagos on Tuesday involving representatives of the International Oil Companies (IOC), truck drivers and truck owners, Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) and top hierarchy of the Nigerian Navy including Rear Admiral SAG Abbah, who decongested Apapa, it was complained that truck operators at the ports and oil majors were facing difficulties getting their trucks and trailers into the port and tank farms.
BusinessDay understands that the purpose of the meeting was not to attack the officers of the Nigerian Navy for the good work they are doing in managing the traffic menace in Apapa, but to negotiate on a better way to manage the movement of trucks and trailers without hindering business activities at both the ports and oil tank farms.
It was believed that the top hierarchy of the Nigerian Navy has some very good ideas on how to end the inefficiency at the port, which elongates the turnaround time of trucks calling at the nation’s seaports.
Before now, businesses and commuters including residential owners have been having trouble accessing Apapa port city, following the traffic congestion on the roads leading to Nigeria’s busiest seaports, Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports.
As a result, there was an increase in man-hour loss on Apapa roads due to the bad traffic situation such that commuters were left with the only option of either making use of one-way (driving against traffic) or spending over four to five hours on the road, just to have access into Apapa.
There are over 200 tank farms with thousands of trucks waiting to load petroleum products, adding to the gridlock for a port that handles more than 60 percent of Nigeria’s cargo and generates some 70 percent of customs revenue.
In 2017, duties from Ports totaled more than N1 trillion ($2.8 billion) up from just under N900 billion the previous year.
The gridlock was largely due to poor management of traffic on roads leading to Apapa as drivers of trucks, oil tankers and other articulated vehicles, were violating the ground rule of occupying a lane, and leaving the other lane to allow other commuters access into Apapa.
However, the action of the FOC Western Naval Command of the Nigerian Navy, who seems to be the only one with the courage to tackle Apapa traffic, has helped in restoring sanity and ensuring that other motorists have access into Apapa with ease.
This effort has received commendations from different stakeholders including the Apapa GRA Resident Association (AGRA), businesses and port users.
Tony Anakebe, managing director of Gold-Link Investment Limited, a clearing and forwarding company based in Apapa, who commended the effort of the Navy in managing Apapa traffic, told BusinessDay in a telephone interview that coming to work in Apapa in the last one week, has brought some relief as port users can now come to the port to clear their consignment with ease.
Anakebe, who noted that trucks coming into the ports to evacuate cargoes were hitherto not able to access the ports due to the traffic situation on the road, said that the current situation has improved the turnaround time of trucks coming to pick cargo at the ports.
He projected that if the good work continues that it will help to reduce the demurrage and storage charges importers and manufacturers pay to shipping companies and terminal operators for delay.
BusinessDay also understands that there would be another meeting held today of the oil majors to work out the effective way to respond to the situation by ensuring that trailers owned by oil majors make efficient use of their parking lots and also ensures effective traffic management in Apapa.
Today, over 90 percent of cargo is moved through the roads, which analysts say is not too ideal as there is need to develop the railway and inland waterways for movement to goods.
AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE
