By Godfrey Bivbere & Sharon Obiakor
CUSTOMS Brokers under the aegis of National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents, NCMDLCA have called on the Federal Government to utilise the empty space at Kirikiri Lighter Port to reduce the present congestion in Lagos Ports.
The Council through its National President, Lucky Amiwero, noted that most of the empty space that were converted to terminal in the Kirikiri Lighter Port area was identified during the Port congestion in 2001 by the Special Committee on Action Plan for Clearing Cargo Back Log, which eventually assisted in decongesting Lagos port in 2001.
He further noted that Kiririri Lighter Port has four empty terminals that can accommodate fifteen (15,000) fully loaded containers, which will ease the congestion in Lagos and shift some of the pressure from Apapa Tincan to Kirikiri Port area.
The NCMDLCA boss noted that the following are empty terminals that are lying idle, which was used in 2001 Port congestion and can still be utilized to clear the Cargo back log in Lagos Port: BRAWL PHASE 1 which can hold 2000 containers, BACO Liner can hold 4000 Containers, Kirikiri Phase 2 can hold 3000 Containers while Kirikiri Phase 3 can hold 2000 Containers respectively.
He also called for the declaration of a state of emergency in port operations in Lagos to decongest the backlog of cargo.
According to him, “The state of emergency is to wave the complexity of the lease agreement with the empty terminal owners at Kirikiri Lighter Port and the cargo traffic elements on the concession agreement with concessioners,
“The part of Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA collection of seven per cent Port Development Levy should be utilized to create navigable channels and berthing facilities, so as to move cargos from the Apapa port to the Kirikiri Lighter Port, which will help to ease the pressure from gridlock.
“Inline of the provision of the NPA Act Section 32 –(a), authorized the authority for the maintenance, control and management of the channels and approach to Nigerian Ports, which includes, making the channels free and navigable for vessel,” he noted.