Following the lingering traffic situation within the port access road , freight forwarders and licensed customs agents have raised the alarm over delay in cargoes movement at Tin Can Island Port Complex (TICPC) Lagos.
The freight agents who took control of traffic management along the port vicinity, lamented that cargoes trapped at the port for weeks resulted to 200% hike on haulage charges even as they groaned that the situation has worsened to an unbearable level.
The combined agents include: the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) on Monday , took responsibility to manage traffic situation within the port environment.
Addressing journalists shortly after an inspection of the port access road by freight agents, Chairman, Tin Can Island Chapter, of ANLCA, Chief Segun Oduntan called on the Hi-Tech construction company in charge of the road construction to open a section of the road in order allow free flow of traffic along the corridor.
Oduntan stated that the Presidential Taskforce on Apapa traffic assured the combined team of freight forwarders that some section of the would be reopen , saying the traffic situation along the port access road can best be described as artificial.
He called on government to create a conducive environment for trade facilitation to thrive , urging the officials of Nigerian Shippers Council to step up in the ombudsman roles.
The Chairman lamented the Council has failed to live up to her expectations in its regulatory roles.
According to him, the ad-hoc exercise by the practitioners was a temporary measures to fix the lingering traffic situation within the port access road at Tin Can Island Port.
Also speaking, Chairman of NAGAFF Tin Can Island Port, High Chief Azubuike Ekweozor described the gridlock as artificially made, calling that the Nigerian Ports Authority and the economic port regulator to address the issues squarely.
He lamented extortion by security agencies also led to the hike in haulage charges of cargoes, pointing out that the lingering traffic situation has discouraged importers from doing business at Tin Can Island Port.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Office Tin Can Island Chapter of ANLCA, Mr Emmanuel Onyeme accused MSC shipping as the major case of traffic situation at the port noting that lack of holding bays by the multinationals posed serious danger to congestion at the port.
“We are approaching the peak period of importation because right now most of cargoes bound for Nigeria are meant for Christmas.
“Based on that , everywhere is choked up and the chairmen of the associations at Tin Can Island Port come up to take charge of the traffic situation.
“We are look at avenue to address the issue and we discovered and identified that NPA , Shippers council, terminal operators , shipping companies and other security agencies are part of the problem of traffic management .
Onyeme lamented that “MSC vessels berth at Ports and Cargo and TICT without holding bays and the trucks were being used as holding bays right inside the terminals.
According to him, trucks spend close to a week along the port access road , calling on the government to open some section of the road and allow the trucks to move out of the port area.
On his part Stanley Chidozie ,spokesman of NAGAFF , Tin Can Island Port accused the Presidential Taskforce team on Apapa traffic as the major cause of the problem faced transporters.
By Roland Ekama
