MAJAN Special Congress on Apapa traffic
* FG allowing a CABAL to hijack maritime business – stakeholders
(Written by ADISA OLAMILEKAN ):
Group photograph taken at the end of the Congress:
Stakeholders in the maritime industry are saying that the Federal Government has allowed a CABAL to hijack maritime business in Nigeria, to the detriment of the entire economy and local investors.
The Chairman of Bonntex Nigeria limited, also a long standing member of ANLCA, Mr Boniface Okoye, made this assertion at the just concluded special Congress, organised by Powerful Pen Media Chapel, owned by Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN), under the leadership of Comrade Ray Ugochukwu, as the President.
According to him, “The perennial traffic gridlock on Apapa ports access roads is induced by Powerful mafia in the system.
” Barge operators are also owners of the terminals, making it difficult to regulate the sector.
” Insincerity on the part of regulators poses a big challenge”.
Also speaking, the Chairman, TinCan Port Chapter, National Council of Managing Directors of Customs Licensed Agents, Alhaji Isa kazeem, who was the Special Guest of Honour, pointed out, “Traffic gridlock contributes 35 percent to why Nigerian port is the most expensive within West African sub-region .
” Apapa and TinCan are the two most vibrant ports in Nigeria, but lacks adequate maintenance of access roads.”
He called on government to open up Eastern Ports, in order to ease the pressure on Apapa ports.”
His words, “NPA must wake up to its responsibility of managing the port access roads.
“Traffic managers creating artificial toll-gates to collect huge sums into private pockets must be prosecuted, to serve as deterrent to others”.
