Review concession of Nigerian ports, Rep tells FG

By Tony Akowe, Abuja

The member representing Apapa Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Muftau Egberongbe has advocated for a review of the concession of the nation’s ports, saying the exercise is costing the nation more revenue than it has brought to the coffers.

Egberongbe also emphasised the need to revisit the agitation for Lagos to be given a special status and one per cent of the nation’s annual resources given to the state for the maintenance of infrastructure in the economic capital of Nigeria.

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Speaking with The Nation, the lawmaker said those who were given the management of the ports had succeeded in depriving the nation huge resources as a result of congestion in the port and on the roads leading to the ports.

He said “It is high time we revisited the issue of concession of the ports. Let us appraise how far we have fared and the reason for doing so in the first place. I know there used to be government warehouses in the port. They are no longer there.

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“The space being used by the port operators now is the same space that was used by these trucks you see on the road. Right now, we are losing huge revenue because of this.

“I know people will always say the government has no business in business. But if you juxtapose what we lose in terms of man hour and our social fabric being debased daily and compare it to what we get from the arrangement, you will realise that we need to strike a balance.

“He said most of these terminals don’t have the required equipment and manpower to carry out their responsibilities. ‘’I think there should be a check list of what they are supposed to do and what they are doing right now.

“For example, we expect that by now, the gates should have been automated so that we eliminate human contact so that a truck driver will just touch the gate with his ticket and go in. If you don’t have an automated ticket and you jump the queue, you will not be able to go in and load. It should be systemic.”

He said he had been shouting and agitating on the traffic situation