Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu says developments within the economy have rendered the Apapa and Tincan Island ports insufficient to cope with the volume of export/ import activities.
New seaports, according to Sanwo-Olu, are therefore needed to share the spillover from Apapa. This, he said, requires an urgent development of Badagry and Lekki deep seaports.
Sanwo-Olu’s position came on Monday, as members of the House of Representatives’ committee on ports decongestion, are in Lagos to carry out investigation into why the Apapa and Tincan ports are in crises.
Yusuf Yakub, chairman of the committee, who led others on a visit to Sanwo-Olu at Lagos House, Ikeja, said the House of Reps was determine to find a solution to the crises within the ports.
Addressing the committee, Sanwo-Olu said:
“It is clear to us that the development of the city called Lagos has outgrown those ports. The level of the yearly tonnage from those ports has since doubled. That means that the capacity that was developed at that time given the volume of business that we are doing from these ports have actually doubled. It is not out of place that one will see a lot of pressure and congestion around the ports.
Speaking further, the governor said that proactive measure to ensure that the gridlock within the ports are solved, were required.
“And this is why we believe critically that Lagos State needs two other ports. This will not only solve the gridlock within the ports but being the economy nerve centre of the country. We have put on the table the development of the Lekki deep sea port, which I must say to you has started and Badagry deep sea port. We have both ports on the eastern and Western parts of Lagos.”
He said the state government was still in talks with Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to grant the approval because we have identified the developers, partners and financiers for the Badagry sea ports.
“If we can see the construction and development of both ports, the congestion that we see at the Apapa and Tin Can ports will reduce. It will also spread development across the country especially in Lagos State. It will be a lot easier for anyone that has come to lift goods from the ports to their warehouse. We will also reduce all other illegal smuggling that had existed,” said Sanwo-Olu.
The governor added that with the lekki seaport, trucks would easily link the Shagamu axis.
Chairman of the committee, Yakub, said they are in Lagos to dig into why the ports in Apapa are experiencing crises.
“In view of the importance of the seaports to the country’s economy, we are here in Lagos to investigate why the ports are not working maximally.
The seaports are gateways to the country; they serve as avenue for imports and exports. And where the seaports are sick, that means that the economy is very sick. We are here to look at the two major ports which is Tin Can and Apapa ports,” said Yakub.
JOSHUA BASSEY
