Reps Move to Decongest Lagos Ports, Curb Revenue Loss

By Ashemiriogwa Emmanuel

The House of Representatives has raised concerns over the excruciating congestions at Lagos ports which are adversely impacting the ease of doing business, thus leading to loss of revenue to the country.

The two Lagos ports, the Apapa and Tin Can Ports, jointly account for 80 per cent of the country’s total imports compared to the other four ports in Nigeria, which the House said were operating far below the capacity of the total cargo volume.

This was a reaction to the motion moved by Mr Mukhtar Ahmed during the plenary proceedings for Tuesday, September 28, on the urgent need to proffer a solution to the persistent congestion at Nigeria ports which was seconded by Mr Obinna Chidoka.

According to the green chamber,  the Apapa Port, Tin Can Island Port, Onne Port, and other ports are presently harbouring over 8,000 containers that have remained uncleared.

The members of the lower chamber of the National Assembly further noted that among these uncleared containers include those at Customs Warehouses which are not auctioned.

In the view of the lawmakers, the present congestions, of which measures to solve have been futile, are being aggravated by obsolete clearing methods, abandonment of containers by importers, lack of automation of clearing, as well as high terminal charges.

The House also listed exorbitant demurrage charges, absence of call-up system, cumbersome and multiple clearing procedures, corrupt and other sharp practices as factors responsible for the excruciating congestions.

It expressed worry over the situation as cargoes are now being diverted from Nigeria to her coastal neighbours like the Benin Republic and Togo, leading to the loss of huge businesses and revenues worth billions of dollars.

Members then urged the Nigeria Customs Service to develop a speedy process of auctioning containers that are over 45 days at the Port to make the Ports decongested and more competitive.

The Committee on Customs and Excise was also tasked to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the causes of the persistent gridlock in Nigeria’s Ports.

This will include developing both short and long-term solutions which should be reported back to the house within three weeks for further action by the lawmakers.