Bayo Akomolafe
The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho has ordered tbe Apapa and Tincan Island port managers to decongest the gridlock on the port roads
He gave the order when he paid an unscheduled visit to the ports access roads in Lagos.
Dantsoho noted that such unscheduled visits, which will be frequent were motivated by the authority’s continuous improvement.
He said: “Although I have tasked the port managers to urgently resolve the areas of concerns raised by the trucking and freight forwarding community. I will continuously follow up directly to ensure compliance and measurable results.
“Traffic management efficiency is a deliverable that we take very seriously, which is why beyond optimising the electronic call-up (eto), we are working assiduously towards multimodal means of evacuation through barges and the rail lines. Specifically, we will work with Nigeria Customs to relocate the scanner sited on the rail line link in Apapa to facilitate seamless evacuation.”
The managing director added that the port access road was an international corridor, saying that NPA had zero tolerance for traffic clogs that cause congestion.
Dantsoho said: “We are poised to increasingly hold ourselves and everyone to account. First the automated access gates must work, we must shorten the SOPs to align with the necessity for quick transaction turnaround to remain competitive first with our peers in the region and internationally.”
On the sidelines of the visit, the NPA Chief Executive was received by Chairman Flour Mills Group, Mr. John Coumantaros and discussions focused on process improvement, increased investment in infrastructure and equipment necessary for Nigerian Ports to garner greater share of the market.
