ONUESOKE SUPPORTS FASHOLA'S CALL FOR DIVERSION OF CARGOES FROM LAGOS PORTS. .... Says Such An Action Will Help Decongest Apapa, Tin-Can Ports
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| Sunny Onuesoke |
"Diversion of cargoes to other ports like that of Warri, Koko, Sapele and Port Harcourt among others will not only decongest Lagos ports and its environs, it will equally boost the economy of Nigeria and states where the ports are located." Onuesoke advises.
A former gubernatorial aspirant in Delta State, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has commended the call by the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola for the need to ease the congestion in Apapa, Tin-Can Ports and other ports in Lagos through the diversion of cargoes to other ports in Nigeria.Fashola had made known this proposal while on an inspection tour of the reconstruction work on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway recently, where he had noted that the Apapa port, which was built in 1975, was no longer capable of handling the volume of imports and activities.
The Honourable Minister had further explained that it was time for some cargoes coming into Nigeria to be diverted to other ports than Apapa and Tin Can ports, with the hope that, diverting of these cargoes will not only help to decongest the ports, but also control traffic in the premier port city.
However, Onuesoke, a notable Environmental Expert, while reacting to Fashola’s advice, said diversion of cargoes to other ports like that of Warri, Koko, Sapele and Port Harcourt among others will not only decongest Lagos ports and its environs, it will equally boost the economy of Nigeria and states where the ports are located.
Chief Onuesoke, a respected chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP gave this assertion while addressing media men on the sideline during the Gas and Energy workshop held in Lagos recently.
He argued that Lagos ports will continue to be congested, mainly because nearly all of the cargoes traffic that should be handled by Warri, Koko, Sapele, Burutu and Port Harcourt ports get stemmed at Lagos, only to be transported by road to their various destinations across the country resulting in higher landing costs to importers, higher risks of loss and damage to cargo with a higher insurance premium, heavy damage to inter-state highways with resulting short life span due to pressure from articulated vehicles, and loss of productive man-hours amongst other costs that are not quantifiable.
The PDP Chieftain explained that diverting cargoes from Lagos ports to other ports will not only reverse their fortunes as sea-land interface structures but will once again revive the once active but now dying market out-posts which the port towns of Warri, Sapele, Koko, Burutu and Port Harcourt were known for.
Onuesoke reiterated that Warri, Port Harcourt, Sapele and Burutu ports remain unique with an enormous capacity yearning for development because of their strategic location in the heart of Nigeria’s oil and gas mineral deposits and their proximity to the Atlantic.
He adjudged the Deltan ports as ports of the future, which would fit snugly in the country’s agenda of oil and gas industry deregulation as they would serve as the hub of modular oil refineries and marine transportation of petroleum products to neighbouring countries and beyond.
He pointed out that if Federal Government can decongest Lagos ports, it will enrich Nigeria’s revenue generation hence ships that have been discharging cargoes in neighbouring West African countries will now divert their cargoes to ports in the Southern part of Nigeria
He argued that Lagos ports will continue to be congested, mainly because nearly all of the cargoes traffic that should be handled by Warri, Koko, Sapele, Burutu and Port Harcourt ports get stemmed at Lagos, only to be transported by road to their various destinations across the country resulting in higher landing costs to importers, higher risks of loss and damage to cargo with a higher insurance premium, heavy damage to inter-state highways with resulting short life span due to pressure from articulated vehicles, and loss of productive man-hours amongst other costs that are not quantifiable.
The PDP Chieftain explained that diverting cargoes from Lagos ports to other ports will not only reverse their fortunes as sea-land interface structures but will once again revive the once active but now dying market out-posts which the port towns of Warri, Sapele, Koko, Burutu and Port Harcourt were known for.
Onuesoke reiterated that Warri, Port Harcourt, Sapele and Burutu ports remain unique with an enormous capacity yearning for development because of their strategic location in the heart of Nigeria’s oil and gas mineral deposits and their proximity to the Atlantic.
He adjudged the Deltan ports as ports of the future, which would fit snugly in the country’s agenda of oil and gas industry deregulation as they would serve as the hub of modular oil refineries and marine transportation of petroleum products to neighbouring countries and beyond.
He pointed out that if Federal Government can decongest Lagos ports, it will enrich Nigeria’s revenue generation hence ships that have been discharging cargoes in neighbouring West African countries will now divert their cargoes to ports in the Southern part of Nigeria
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