‘Road closure hurting business at ports’

The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has cried out over the closure of the two major roads leading to Apapa and Tin-Can ports in Lagos because it is affecting port operations.

NPA said the current state of the two roads leading to the two Lagos ports is affecting the multibillion naira businesses inside the port negatively.

Addressing reporters in Lagos yesterday, after the tour of Apapa/Tin-Can/ Mile 2 access roads to the port, NPA’s Managing Director,

Mohammed Bello-Koko seeks speedy end to the repairs on Leventis Bridge along Western Avenue and the Tin-Can, Oshodi/Apapa express road to ease traffic, facilitate trade and boost government revenue.

He lamented that the ports have started witnessing a longer waiting time for vessels, a longer dwell time of cargo inside the port and the shutdown of the roads responsible for the high cost of transportation of goods out of the port.

The NPA chief therefore, called on Buildwell and HITECH, the two contractors in charge of works on the Leventis Bridge and Apapa-Oshodi expressway respectively, to work 24/7 round-the-clock to see to the early completion of the roads to boost business activities in and outside the ports.

He also appealed to the Lagos State Government to work with the NPA to clear up the traders that are occupying nearly half of the newly constructed roads in order to free up the port access roads.

According to him, the early opening of the Leventis Bridge is critical because shutting it down to traffic has started affecting port operations.

His words: “with the closure of the Leventis Bridge, everything is almost at a standstill. This road is critical to the economy and the nation at large. We understand the importance of closing the bridge around Leventis for repair to avoid a collapse but it is seriously impacting port operation,” Bello-Koko said.

He added that the situation was due to the fact that Western Avenue has been the major means of movement of cargo into both Tin-Can and Apapa Ports since 2021 when the Cele/Mile 2/ Sunrise end of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway was closed to traffic for construction.

He however, said the NPA has been able to get the commitment of HITECH to deliver the first section of the road from Sunrise to Mile 2 in about 30 days, which would be by the end of October before continuing with the second section.

On the security concerns discouraging the contractors from working at night, he said the NPA has gotten the commitment of AIG Maritime and plans to also speak with other security agencies to provide security for the contractors to work at night.

On his part, Robert Turnor, a representative of HITECH Construction, said that issue of insecurity has been a challenge to workers and property on the site, thereby limiting work at night.

Also, the President General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Adewale Adeyanju said that the road situation is impacting negatively on the health of both maritime workers and port users, and said that many importers have moved their businesses to the ports in neigbouring countries.

He expressed sadness that a sizable portion of the Tin-Can Island Road has been turned into a marketplace where people are buying and selling, which is now creating serious security threats to lives and property.

He called on the government to declare a state of emergency on the roads leading to the ports because Nigeria is losing lots of revenue based on the current state of the two roads leading to the two Lagos ports.