Barge Operators Take Over  Apapa Business District , Evacuates Over 1m TEUs From Seaports In 2020

Fresh facts have emerged that barge operators  have taken over major buildings and  offices in Apapa Local Government Area Lagos State, as the business continues to thrive in leaps and bounds.

 

Investigations conducted by DAILYFOCUS NIGERIA recently , revealed that the numerical strength of members , Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN) in the last twelve months have risen from a paltry three to about a hundred as at October ending this year.

 

Similarly, the progress recorded so far gave rise to the increasing participation in barging activities by investors and entrepreneurs in Lagos.

 

Checks further revealed that popular buildings in Apapa now warehouse at least three to four barge operators firms.

 

For instance Polysonic Mall and Eleganza Building situated along Wharf Road and Commercial Road respectively , warehoused at least nine barging companies.

 

While our correspondent confirmed three barging companies within Eleganza Plaza, six others were sighted at Polysonic Mall.

 

Also located at the popular Polysonic Mall is the National Secretariat of the Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN).

 

Unlike, licensed customs brokers and freight forwarding organisations with the largest number of offices in Apapa, there are indications that in the nearest future barging companies may possibly take the lead.

 

 

 

Bola Muse ,.a member of BOAN confirmed to our correspondent that the barging business has come to stay in Nigeria and Lagos in particular adding membership strength has continued to increase.

 

Muse , who is also the Financial Secretary Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and immediate past President, Women In Shipping Association (WIMA) Nigeria,  noted that the business has come to stay in the nation’s seaports .

 

She added that barge operations will continue to thrive .

 

Barging activities , stakeholders predicted , have the capacity to employ over a million youths if properly harnessed and regulated by the government.

 

Consequently, BOAN also disclosed that a total of one million Twenty Foot Equivalent (TEUs) were evacuated from the  two major Lagos seaports  in 2020.

 

Nura Wagani, a member of BOAN confirmed to our correspondent that a large amount of bulk and general cargoes were also evacuated during the period under review.

 

Wagani affirmed that in the first ten months of 2021, members of the association was able to evacuate over 800, 000 TEUs , pointing out that the figure would likely surpassed what was obtained last year.

 

On his part, Chief Executive Officer, GG Enterprise, Alhaji Inuwa Abdullahi a barge operator, stressed  that the business has a stronger grip in the maritime space thus decongesting the port terminals.

 

According to him, the barge operations play major roles in the evacuation of cargoes in and out of the Seaports, but maintained that inter modal system of transport was key to decongest the ports and corridors respectively.

 

Inuwa affirmed that trucking operations will also complement barging activities as part of efforts to move consignments to the warehouses and final destination outside the port environment.

 

By Roland Ekama