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…Says Lekki Deep Sea Port best in Nigeria, West Africa
By Aidoghie Paulinus
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Lekki Deep Sea Port Manager, Emmanuel Anda, has called on the maritime community to avail themselves of the opportunities available in the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Lagos.
Speaking with a select group of journalists who were on a visit to the port, Anda said the corporate headquarters of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) led by Abubakar Dantsoho, has laid down marks to achieve a status concerning the port.
In view of that, Anda also said the staff of NPA are working in conjunction with the concessionaire, the Lekki Deep Sea Port, encouraging them to see to it that the port becomes a hub for West Africa and the entire African continent.
He added that the management of the Lekki Deep Sea Port have done wonderfully well, saying that a view of the port was a testament when compared to other ports in Lagos.
Anda further said there was no challenge at the port except that Nigerians were not taking the opportunity of what is available at the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
“We don’t have a challenge. The only challenge we have is that Nigerians are not taking the opportunity of what we have here. This, I would say, is the best thing to have happened in Nigeria for quite some time.
“We don’t want to speak only. We need the public to come and experience the services that we give out and the processes that are put in. This is the best that you can get in this country and even in West Africa and we hope to even do better,” Anda said.
The NPA Lekki Deep Sea Port Manager further said access to the port was no longer an issue as the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government are very determined to construct road networks.
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Earlier, the Managing Director, Lekki Deep Sea Port, Wang Qiang, said the port is currently at a loss as the company was yet to recoup its investment.
He disclosed that the company made huge investment towards the construction of the port to the tune of $1 billion.
“It needs more time to gain back. Right now, we are still facing the loss for the Lekki Port,” Wang said.
Also speaking, the Chief Commercial Officer, Lekki Free Port Terminal, Kehinde Olubi-Neye, said year-on-year, there had been significant improvement in access to the Lekki Deep Sea Port which started when there was only one lane.
“Now, it is dualised, you have the north road through Epe into Lagos; that is 100 percent completed. Transit time from Lagos is about two and half hours,” Olubi-Neye said.
Olubi-Neye further said the issue of congestion associated with other corridors is not applicable to the Lekki Deep Sea Port, a development he said, is to the advantage of the truck drivers.
On her part, a representative of COSCO Shipping Line, Mary Ebechukwu, said LFT has successfully become one of the few terminals with the fastest turnaround time.
“The turnaround time for vessels is an average of 24 hours, which is the fastest in Nigeria, which enhances port stay for shipping lines and also translate to cost effectiveness for our vessels,” she said.
