Maritime
Truckers Want Seamless Cargo Evacuation At Lekki Port
Barely weeks to the commissioning of the Lekki Deep Seaport, members of Amalgamation of Maritime Truck Owners Association of Nigeria (AMTOAN) have urged management of Lekki Deep Seaport to ensure a coordinated approach to truck movement at the port.
Coordinator of the association , Mr Remi Ogungbemi, who stated this during a visit to the Port, weekend, noted that such approach would prevent gridlock.
He said a coordinated approach to trucking will ensure seamless cargo evacuation when commercial operation begins next month.
Ogungbemi, however, noted that cargo evacuation from the Lekki port would still be a challenge due to the bad roads leading to the port city.
He urged the Lagos State Government to ensure that the roads were expanded to avert the traffic challenges similar to the one being experienced at Apapa and Tin Can ports.
“The purpose of our visit is to get ourselves familiar with the facilities, especially where it has to do with movement of trucks in and out of the port.
“We also want to know the provisions made for trucks that are coming to the port”, he said.
Ogungbemi described the Lekki seaport project as a game changer for the Nigerian economy.
“What we saw here is the first of its kind. We don’t have such infrastructures in any of our ports. We have not seen such before in Nigeria. It is, indeed, a game changer,” he said.
Also speaking, a trucker, Mr Ridwan Bello, said there was need to have adequate truck parks around the port’s corridor that would match the volume handled at the port.
Bello said due to heavy traffic flow in the Lekki-Epe axis occasioned by poor access roads, truckers might consider night movement of trucks before the completion of the road.
He urged the State Government to create a dedicated lane for trucks upon completion of the road to reduce gridlock in the axis.
“Our basic concern is the access road and truck park facility. If you look at the Ajah to Lekki road, it is in a bad shape. So you can imagine the chaos when trucks start coming to the port.
“This is why we are proposing night movement for our trucks. From Eleko to Epe”,
“There is a dedicated lane for trucks, so we are also suggesting that there should be a dedicated lane for trucks from Lekki to Ajah”, he said.
Earlier, Chief Operating Officer, Lekki Port, Mr Laurence Smith, and Head of Regulatory and Procurement, Mr Daniel Odibe, who received the team, assured the visitors that the challenges of gridlock experienced at the Apapa ports would not be the case at the Lekki Port.
They assured that the operations at the port would be streamlined and fully automated.
Odibe said to ensure smooth evacuation of cargo, the management of the Lekki Port had put in place a truck parking area with a capacity for 250 trucks.
“The trucks will be required to park at the truck parking area until they are called up into the port through a booking system.
“With the road network going east of Lagos, we have newly constructed six lane roads leading to Epe all the way to Shagamu.
By: Chinedu Wosu
The Nigerian Navy Forward Operation Base (FOB), Badagry, says its gallant officers have rescued nine women from the hands of suspected human traffickers.
FOB said the suspects have been handed over to the National Agency for prohibition of Human trafficking in Person (NAPTIP) for prosecution.
This was disclosed to newsmen in a statement by the Base Information Officer, Litunent B. Awodeyi, in Lagos.
Awodeyi said the first interception of the women was during a stop and search operation by the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Command in a boat traveling to mile 2 and Panshi Jetty in Lagos State were five women between the ages of 19 and 32 were rescued.
The statement further said four women were also rescued by QRT two days later in a boat along Tongeji Island in Badagry, with the ages of victims ranging from 19 to 24 years.
Awodeyi said the rescued suspects were under investigation in line with the 2016 Harmonised Standard Procedures on arrest.
Although the names of the suspects were not made public by FOB, it insisted that the operation reflects Navy’s dedication to combating human trafficking and ensuring a secure maritime environment in line with the Chief of Naval Staff’s strategic directive 2023 and 2026.
The directive, Awodeyi said, is aimed at promoting safety in Nigeria’s waters and the Gulf of Guinea (GOG).
The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), led by its President-General, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, has announced plans to embark on a nationwide strike, if the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) fails to pay nine months of salary arrears owed its employees.
Adeyanju said the affected workers are members of MWUN, and accused CRFFN management of neglecting its financial responsibilities.
MWUN in a statement by its Head of Media, Comrade John Kennedy Ikemefuna, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the actions of the CRFFN’s Acting Registrar.
The statement noted that MWUN had exhausted all available options for negotiation, including issuing several ultimatums, but that the efforts were ignored by the management of CRFFN.
“The most recent attempt at mediation occurred in Abuja on September 18, 2024, yet no progress was made in resolving the matter”, it said.
The statement criticised CRFFN for disregarding a crucial resolution reached during the mediation meetings.
According to Ikemefuna, one of the resolutions stipulated that when funds become available to the CRFFN, the payment of employees’ salaries should be prioritis ed.
The statement further noted that CRFFN diverted available funds to conduct what it described as a “kangaroo” training programme for select staff members, leaving the issue of unpaid salaries unaddressed.
“This is a clear violation of the agreements reached”, it emphasised.
The Union said CRFFN’s actions have deepened the financial challenges faced by its members, hence MWUN expressed disappointment that, despite their willingness to cooperate with the CRFFN management, the regulatory body has continued to act in a manner that undermines the rights and welfare of its members.
The workers union, therefore, insisted that it would no longer tolerate the perceived impunity of the CRFFN and declared that if the outstanding nine months salary arrears are not paid, it would have no choice but to initiate a total withdrawal of its members from services.
“This action would impact key sectors of Nigeria’s maritime industry, including the Nigerian Ports Authority, dock labour, shipping and freight forwarding agencies, as well as seamen working across all ports, jetties, terminals, and oil and gas platforms”, Ikemefuna stated.
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Apapa Command, has thwarted a smuggling attempt of N1.1billion illicit drugs in four containers at Apapa Port.
The four seized containers were filled with narcotics valued at N1,183,915,500.
The Command’s Area Controller, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu, disclosed this to newsmen through its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Abubakar Usman.
The seizure involved 236,783 bottles of cough syrups containing codeine and Barcadin, packed in a total of 2,174 cartons from two terminals under the command’s jurisdiction.
Three other seizures were made at APM Terminals, while one was intercepted at Kachicares Bonded Terminal.
Comptroller Olomu explained that, “On October 11, 2024, during a joint inspection of a 1×40 container, number MRKU0377493, our officers discovered prohibited CSP cough syrup—34,800 bottles packed into 174 cartons, each containing 200 bottles.
“The shipment was expired at the time of interception”.
The statement said on the same day, another 1×40 container, number TGBU8886020, was found with 39,700 bottles of DSP cough syrup, packed in cartons containing 100 bottles each.
Additionally, a third container (TCKU6800526) examined on October 15, 2024, at APMT Terminal, labelled as containing essential goods, revealed 19 cartons of concealed CSJ cough syrup for throat and chest with codeine, packed in 200 bottles per carton.
Another major seizure was recorded on October 15, 2024, at Kachicares Resources Terminal: A 1×40FT container, number SUDU8579006, declared as containing kitchen wares, was found with a concealed stash of Barcadin cough syrup in 1,584 cartons, along with 83 loose bottles.
Comptroller Olomu described the seizures as part of the NCS’ zero-tolerance policy toward smuggling.
Apapa Command, he said, “is committed to efficient trade facilitation while maintaining strict controls on revenue collection and anti-smuggling activities.
”I urge those engaged in illegal trade to avoid Apapa Port. Our vigilant officers, using intelligence, technology, and experience, are poised to detect and intercept any smuggling attempts”.
He insisted that Codeine abuse has been linked to severe side effects, including drowsiness, confusion, and increased susceptibility to criminal behaviors.
“The Nigerian government banned the importation of codeine-containing cough syrups in 2018 after widespread misuse among youth”, he noted.
The Comptroller said further investigations are underway to identify and apprehend the individuals behind the smuggling attempts.