NAN-H-14
Union
By Bolaji Buhari
Lagos, Sept. 26, 2016 (NAN)The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Senior Staff Association on Monday urged the Federal Government to repair the dilapidated roads leading to Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports.
Mr Benson Adegbeyeni, the president of the association, made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
He said that the deplorable condition of the roads was a major cause of traffic congestion in Apapa, and the situation was affecting operations of the ports as well as businesses around.
“You see, we cannot talk about port efficiency without good access roads; that is why the Federal Government has to once and for all find a lasting solution to the poor state of roads in Apapa.
“Port users are suffering daily as a result of the congestion caused by these bad roads; consequently, valuable man-hour and revenue is lost.
“The port is a major cash cow of the economy, and if we must optimize the revenue benefits of the ports, the government must put the appropriate things in place, especially by the fixing of bad roads,’’ he said.
Adegbeyeni said that port access roads was not an issue in major ports of the world, urging the government to learn from the port roads in Liverpool and the Singaporean ports, and replicate same in Apapa.
He faulted the recent approval by government for some private organisations around the port to rehabilitate some roads, describing it as an aberration.
“I don’t want to mention names, but there is no way we can allow these private organisations to fix port roads and expect the best results.
“They will do shoddy jobs in exchange for some government incentives. I think the government should not continue with the idea. It is not the best for port infrastructural development,’’ he said.
NAN reports that Dangote Group and APMoeller Terminal recently announced plans to rehabilitate some port access roads after a deal with the government on some incentives in return. (NAN)
BHB/AOM/SOA
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(Edited by Mohammed Abdullahi and Oluwole Sogunle)