The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi has directed terminal operators at the Apapa seaport to contribute to its reconstruction to end the chaos at the port.
Amaechi stated this Monday on a TV programme monitored in Abuja.
“What I’ve done, was to have a meeting with the terminal operators, and I told them that they have to contribute to the reconstruction of the Apapa seaport,” he said.
“We must rebuild the Apapa seaport, taking into cognizance all the issues that we are seeing now that is frustrating the seaport, like where do you park the trucks, how many trucks are coming into the seaport at what point in time?
“How can a person come into the seaport who has no business being there, what is he doing at the seaport? The seaport is a security area and it’s not for everybody, even me, after my tenure as Minister, I’m not entitled to go into the seaport unless I have business in the seaport,” he added.
He said the Ministry of Transportation will partner with the Customs, and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to solve the problem, adding that freighting of cargoes from the Seaport through the rail, when it begins, will also help in arresting the situation at the Port.
Amaechi also spoke on the recently launched Deep Blue Project being overseen by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, stating that the project will boost security in the country’s waters and improve trade in the Gulf of Guinea and reduce cost of production for the Oil industry, while improving revenue for Nigeria’s economy.
