Esther Oritse
Lagos — The leadership of the Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC, has said that the absence of rail connection into Lagos port could lead to massive congestion if steps were not taken to address the anomaly.
Speaking at a sensitization programme organized by the Council Lagos, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Mr. Pius Akutah said the lack of rail evacuation has resulted in delayed cargo clearance, increased demurrage payments, and a surge in trucks and tankers on the roads, leading to traffic gridlock and higher costs of doing business.
Akutah also said that the Council is partnering with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to address this challenge by identifying and tackling limitations facing the NRC’s infrastructural development, streamlining customs processes, and exploring Public-Private Partnership opportunities to enhance rail transport services.
The collaboration according to Akutah aims at promoting multimodal cargo evacuation and
“Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) as a dependable ally is vested with the authority to manage the public rail infrastructure, and to provide rail services and facilities for the carriage of goods and passengers,” he said.
Similarly, Ify Okolue, NSC Director, Inland Transport and Services of the NSC, noted that the objective of the summit is to identify the challenges facing the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) infrastructural development; the role of the Nigeria Customs Service towards enabling seamless movement of cargo; reduction of the cost of doing business in the port and proffering practicable solutions to the identified problems while opening up discussions on the possibility for Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the provision of rail transport services with a view to promoting multimodal approach to cargo evacuation and distribution to the hinterland.
Okolue asserted that the NSC and the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy stand resolutely committed to creating an enabling environment for the actualization of optimal and seamless movement of cargoes by rail from the seaports to the inland dry ports and the hinterland in general.
