Roads and bridges leading in and out of Apapa, Nigeria’s premier ports community, Lagos, are crumbling, and the Federal Government is keeping mute as lives, businesses and property face imminent danger.
This, many stakeholders say runs contrary to the expectation that the sweeping into power at the federal level, of the same political party ruling Lagos, will facilitate an understanding that Apapa plays a critical role in the economic wellbeing of Nigeria, as the host community of Nigeria’s most patronised seaports – Tin-Can and Apapa ports.
Remi Ogungbemi, president, Association of Maritime Trucks Owners (AMATO), Jonathan Nicole, president, Shippers’ Association of Lagos State, Mohammed Bulangu, acting managing director of Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited (PCHSL), all believe that Apapa deserves a fair deal from the Federal Government than it is presently getting, just as they lament the untold hardship that collapsed infrastructure in Apapa is unleashing on businesses, commuters and port users.
It now takes hours to have access in and out of Apapa given the dilapidated portions of Ijora-Apapa road caused by portholes that have turned into gullies, especially around Leventis-Barrack bus-stop axis to Airways bus-stop.
“The access roads to the ports are in their worst conditions and this has become a source of worry to the stakeholders in the industry. It is posing a serious challenge to business activities at the port, as importers find it difficult to take delivery of their consignment,” John Jenkins, group managing director, SIFAX Group, said.
Jenkins tasked the Federal Government to urgently address the problem in the overall good of the economy.
On the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway axis, commuters including port users have been finding it difficult to enter or leave Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports owing to the fact that the portions of road from Coconut Bridge to the Second Gate (inbound Apapa) and Second Gate to Coconut Bridge (outbound Apapa) have degenerated into a sorry state.
“The road leading to Apapa from Ijora through Western Avenue end has collapsed such that there is a big hole on the bridge. Apapa access roads are currently in a sorry state and these roads were constructed over 40 years ago with a particular life span. It is quite painful that from the time these roads were constructed till date, there has not been any serious repair or maintenance on them,” Mohammed Bulangu, acting managing director of Ports and Cargo Handling Services Limited (PCHSL), said.
Jonathan Nicole, president, Shippers’ Association of Lagos State, in an interview with BusinessDay, said the Federal Ministry of Works had some questions to answer because it had failed to deliver in the area of putting Apapa access roads in good shape. “We expect the government to take the issue of rehabilitating Apapa roads very seriously. In countries like Sri Lanka, Togo and Cotonou, we do not see portholes on roads leading to the port, but unfortunately we see gullies in Nigeria,” Nicole said.
The Federal Government makes billions of naira in revenue from the ports through import duties, terminal royalties and other charges without investing in the development of the port community, especially the roads, thus the decay in the system, the Shippers’ Association boss further lamented.
“The attitude of the Federal Government to the state of the roads shows that Apapa is completely sacked from sanity to ‘rubbish.’ Ironically, these are roads where heavy duty and articulated vehicles carrying containers and other cargoes pass through in and out of the ports. It is sad that over one year and few months into the new government, no attention has been paid to Apapa roads, which regularly claim lives due to stress and man-hour spent on the roads in and out of Apapa,” he said.
