Cargo concentration in Lagos not political decision –Amiwero

A former Chairman of Presidential Committee on the Nigeria Customs Reforms, Lucky Amiwero, has said that 80 per cent of cargo concentrated in Lagos ports is not based on political decision as some people claimed.

Speaking with Daily Sun via telephone on the issues surrounding the nation’s ports, Amiwero said that thedecision was done due to the natural placement of the ports, adding that importers ship their cargoes to Lagos as a result of where they can get their cargo easily, faster and better.

He explained: “When you look at Lagos, it has a lot of industries, the markets and population. And other places they are talking about, if they build port there, the port will be empty because they don’t have what Lagos is having. There are no industries in those areas that can attract cargoes like Lagos.

“You know some people said they supposed to have diverted some cargoes to other part of the country. These are ministers who are talking because they don’t understand the procedures. People don’t have to look at Lagos ports as political institutions maybe as a result of Federal Government trying to push cargo to Lagos, no; the cargo was pushed to Lagos by importers because they ship their cargo to area they feel it can be cleared easily.”

For instance, he explained that Lagos has what is called destination of cargo while Port Harcourt does not have it. He said destination of cargo is what gave Lagos an edge over other ports in the country.

He queried: “What are the industries you have in Port Harcourt that can generate the kind of cargo we have in Lagos? What are the industries you have in Warri that can generate the kind of cargo you have in Lagos? Same thing goes for Calabar.”

However, he berated Federal Government for continuing to play politics with the maritime sector, adding that government has failed to engage experts, which is why the industry is faced with so many challenges like gridlock and backlog.

Amiwero noted that government needs experts to redesign the cargo clearance in Lagos, as there is no need to build a new port.

Said he: “There are many things you need to do to bring sanity back into the system and you can only do it with experts. Experts will sit down and tell you what to do. We have done it before.”