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……Dera lauds Lagos Govt, CGC Adeniyi on collaborative efforts
By Steve Agbota
Sanity has returned to Port corridor as perennial traffic gridlock along Mile 2 to Tin Can Island Port in Lagos disappeared following a joint operation of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Lagos State Government, which was embarked upon recently.
This is coming after the persistence reports published in Daily Sun on the menace of refuse, tanker and trucks taking the better part of the port access roads.
Before now, the gridlock had become a bone in the neck of the federal and state law officers for close to a decade.
However, the persistent gridlock, which has defiled every solutions throw at it has not become a thing of the past as the road is being cleared for free flow of vehicules following the ruthless joint exercise carried by Lagos State Government and NPA.
This is even as Port users saying 60 per cent of businesses that have left the port corridor will gradually return in no time, as they are saying opening up port corridor will gradually increase cargo throughput and boost trade facilitation.
However, the Customs Area Controller of Tin Can Island Command, Comptroller Dera Nnadi commended the Lagos State Government under Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Comptroller General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi on their collaborative efforts to ensure sanity return to the port access road.
While briefing journalists, Compt Nnadi said “The greatest glory goes to the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide SanwoOlu, who gave the political will to ensure the exercise succeeded.
“We had meetings with NPA, exporters, importers, shipping lines and freight forwarders. We thank the media for highlighting the challenges we faced on the port access road. The good thing now is that the road had been cleared and the heaps of refuse removed for us to have sanity around the port corridor.
“Since 2017, that corridor was not in use because of the menace of truck drivers leaving their vehicles on the major road. We thank Lagos government, the Customs CG and other security agencies that helped in this exercise,” he said.
He added that opening this corridor will increase cargo throughput, in order to enhance trade facilitation and more revenue collection for government.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC) Mr Sanni Bala expressed the gratitude of LASTCOC and appreciation to the NPA and Lagos State Government for successful opening up of the Tin Can logistics corridor for free vehicular movement.
“NPA and Lagos Government have successfully broke that jinx that always make opening of Tincan port access road look like an impossible herculean task. The opening Tincan Port access road would promote free flow of traffic, seamless evacuation of cargo, promote trade facilitation and ease of doing business.
“It is our hope and prayer that the road clearance operation would be a continuous exercise to prevent re-grouping and return of extortion bandits taking advantage of gridlock to extort truckers and burgle containers in transit,” he said.
