The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is partnering with the Nigeria Customs Service to relocate a scanning machine currently positioned on the rail line in Apapa, a move aimed at improving cargo evacuation from the seaport.
Dr Abubakar Dantsoho, the Managing Director of the NPA, shared this update on Tuesday during an unannounced inspection of key operational routes leading to the Lagos Ports access road.
During the visit, Dr Dantsoho noted that the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, has successfully obtained approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to begin reconstruction at TinCan Island and to rehabilitate various problematic areas within the Apapa Port Complex.
He expressed a strong commitment to overseeing the progress of these initiatives to ensure that the goals are met. “I have instructed Port Managers to address the concerns raised by the trucking and freight forwarding communities urgently,” he stated. “I will continue to monitor compliance closely to ensure we achieve measurable outcomes.”
Dr. Dantsoho emphasized that efficiency in traffic management is a top priority. “The electronic call-up system (eto) is being optimized, and we are dedicated to exploring multimodal evacuation methods through barges and railways. This includes relocating the scanner on the rail line to streamline cargo evacuation.”
He highlighted the significance of the port access road as an international corridor, stating, “We have zero tolerance for traffic congestion. We are committed to ensuring accountability across the board. The automated access gates must function effectively, and we need to shorten the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to enable quicker transaction turnaround times, ensuring our competitiveness both regionally and globally.”
During the visit, the NPA Chief Executive met with Mr John Coumantaros, Chairman of Flour Mills Group, to discuss potential improvements in processes and the need for increased investment in infrastructure and equipment to help Nigerian ports capture a larger market share.
Mr. Coumantaros praised President Bola Tinubu for fostering an investor-friendly environment. Dr. Dantsoho took the opportunity to commend Minister Oyetola for securing FEC approval for the critical reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.
In closing, he remarked that these developments, coupled with the Federal Government’s approval of the National Single Window (NSW) project, signal Nigeria’s readiness to accommodate large cargo carriers in line with the country’s population size and market demands.
