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By Chinelo Obogo
Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso has decried the state of the Apapa-Wharf road, describing it as an eyesore.
Kwankwaso who was at a town hall meeting at the NNPP headquarters in Lagos on Tuesday, said that the road which is the gateway to the nation’s major economic hub,, the maritime sector is an embarrassment the Nigeria.
He said the country needs to plan for the future of the maritime sector as it is critical to the growth and survival of the economy of the country.
“I have listened to this audience and have noted your expectations. I can tell you that I am aware of most of the challenges facing the sector presently. One of such, for instance is congestion on port access roads in Apapa.
” It may interest you to know that in one of my visits to Lagos sometimes ago, I was in Apapa and was stunned at the spectacle of articulated trucks lining the Ijora Bridge. To me, it was an unacceptable eyesore in a twenty-first century Nigeria.
“A port system originally designed for a population of less than 50 million people in the 1950s with less than 2.0 million cargo throughput has remained almost the same for more than 200 million population in 2022.
“When a country’s population is increasing at geometric progression and port infrastructure remains static, the resultant effect is chaos. To me, that is the cause of the Ijora Bridge debacle and other issues. So many things have gone wrong with the industry,” he said.
Kwankwaso said that it is his desire to see that the Customs and other regulatory agencies be made to perform efficiently and effectively, saying the observed high level corruption in the system had to be tackled to improve the productivity in the ports.
Kwankwaso, who assured the stakeholders of attention if elected, called for support in the 2023 general election to create a new and better Nigeria.
Stressing that the NNPP had a blueprint for the economy, maritime sector inclusive, Kwankwaso requested the stakeholders to form the nucleus that would be responsible for designing a workable and actionable Maritime Sector Reform Template.
He said that such template should include clearance of goods arriving our ports within 72 hours as done in other countries, tackling privacy within territorial waters and the entire Gulf of Guinea, clearing of our ports of pollution because of discharge from ships.
“Our government will look into the position of constructing a rail line from both Apapa, and Tincan Island ports to a dry port area outside lagos where arrived goods should be domiciled for clearance in order to stop heavy trucks from causing a gridlock in Lagos.
“We should also look into the possibility of opening other ports such as Warri, Port harcourt, Calabar etc in order to decongest Lagos port.
“In addition, I can assure you that it will no longer be business as usual, under our watch maritime professionals will take charge of the maritime sector,” he said.
At the event, founder and Chairman, Board of Trustee of NNPP, Dr. Boniface Aniebonam,
assured people of South East that the Kwankwaso loves them.
He said that part of NNPP’s focus if elected into power in 2023 is the maritime sector, where Igbos are in majority.
According to him, a huge number of Igbos are into import and export of goods and services in the maritime industry, hence the need to support the NNPP presidential candidate.
He said that NNPP was entering into the social contract with the stakeholders to bring about a new order.
He said that NNPP has been working quietly and setting up structures to create a new order in the maritime sector and the country.
Aniebonam urged the stakeholders to be part of the journey to the emergence of a new Nigeria and start work from the inside to build a new Nigeria.
“We can no longer operate from the outside, we have to operate from the inside and we have to work for it.
“Hold me responsible on the implementation of the social contract we are having with stakeholders in the maritime sector,” he said.
Speaking, Prof. Rufai Alkali, the National Chairman of NNPP said that vision, mission and commitment of the party is to liberate Nigeria and Nigerians as well as building a country everyone would be proud of.
According to Alkali, the party is ready to make sure that the issue of economy, security, poverty and others as are taken care of.
“We are looking at Nigeria as a whole. A country where there will be inclusion and where no section of the country is left behind. NNPP is the fastest growing political party in Nigeria.
“We need a better Nigeria for our children and grandchildren and that is what NNPP is all about, new party, new face, new direction to push the country forward.
“NNPP is not a regional party as being pronounced by some people, it is a party that will make sure that the issue of security, education and others are taken care of.
“The maritime industry is also in focus, and we will ensure that things are put in place,” Alkali said.
