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By Steve Agbota
The Seaports Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) has called on the Federal Government to intervene over decaying infrastructure in and around the Tin Can Island Port.
Speaking during an interactive meeting with the Minister of State for Transportation, Senator Gbemisola Saraki, in Lagos, the representative of STOAN, Mr. Ascanio Russo, decried the level of infrastructure decay at the Port, saying there is need for government to address the decay so as to make the port more competitive.
However, he expressed the willingness of terminal operators to increase their investments at the nation’s ports.
“One of the major challenges that terminal operators face in Lagos at the moment and for sometime now is the condition of the port infrastructure especially in Tin Can Island Port.
“As you know, terminal operators have been operating in Lagos for over 15 years and have made significant investment in infrastructure, equipment, and human resources. And over time, we have really increased the level of productivity in the port,” he added.
According to him, terminal operators have now reached the stage to make necessary investment to really bring back to the original status of the decaying infrastructure especially in Tin Can Island Port.
“From our side, we want to confirm that we are committed serious investors and we are ready to participate to invest directly in this infrastructure. We have been here for many years and we plan to be here for more years.
“So, we are very happy that you have identified the challenges in the area of infrastructure and we want to confirm to you that we are ready to make the necessary investment.
“We are ready to sit with you and your team to look at the legal and financial framework under which we can make this investment to continue to keep Lagos ports competitive,” Mr. Russo, who is also the Managing Director of PTML Terminal, said.
He said while the new port being constructed in Lekki is an opportunity for Lagos, the ports in Apapa and Tin Can Island should not be neglected as they would still be very relevant.
