PHOTO CAPTION
Participants at NIMPORT event
The Nigerian International Maritime Ports and Terminals (NIMPORT), a port and terminal promotion organization, has appealed to the Federal Government to ensure seamless connectivity for cargo and human traffic.
Speaking to Transport Day at the NIMPORT Conference & Expo in Lagos recently, the NIMPORT Chairman, Mr Fortune Idu, made the appeal to the Federal Government of Nigeria to consider full connectivity, from the port to the hinterland. There should be full and seamless connectivity for cargo and human traffic as it will actually help the country achieve its potential.
“The Minister of Transportation should not relent in moving the sector forward. There should be no politicking about connectivity. We can achieve the decongestion of Lagos and pull people out of Lagos into neighbouring states such as Ogun and Oyo states by making the railways work”, he said.
He said the Rail projects should be completed as quickly as possible.
Mr. Idu, stressed that the sector was hoping and aspiring to see a Lagos without container traffic, saying that having containers dropping off bridges in a busy and populated city like Lagos was appalling and unthinkable.
He urged the Lagos state government and the Federal Government to work closely and ensure that Lagos is rid of container traffic. bulk breaking of container content should be done outside the main commercial city of Lagos and that can only be achieved with real connectivity and where you have inland terminals and rail stations around Lagos.
Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), at the 4 day Nigeria International Maritime Port and Terminal (NIMPORT) Conference and Expo with the theme: ”Fostering Africa’s Global Trade Competitiveness and the Role of the Ports”, said that NIMPORT was aimed at creating a multi-sector platform for bridging the divide and connecting all sub sectors in the chain of logistics solutions for manufacturers, shippers and consumers.
According to the Managing Director (NPA), Hadiza Usman, said that Nigerian ports are undergoing some infrastructural and institutional reforms, preparatory to ensuring seamless connectivity.
