Fearful by lack of enterprise to neighbouring international locations resulting from poor port infrastructure, the Lagos and Ogun state governments are making efforts to improve infrastructure on the Lekki Deep Seaport to realize seamless cargo evacuation, ADAKU ONYENUCHEYA writes.
Though the federal authorities is addressing maritime enterprise losses to the neighbouring international locations with the event of the Lekki deep seaport, street infrastructure deficit has remained a significant problem to attaining effectivity in cargo evacuation on the port.
The connecting roads to the port have been in dire want of rehabilitation as stakeholders and residents alongside the hall feared that not offering the infrastructure wanted for environment friendly cargo evacuation from the seaport would create a duplicate of Apapa and Tin Can Island ports chaotic gridlock.
The poor state of the roads has threatened the viability of the port and its dream of changing into the maritime logistics hub of the West and Central African area in addition to its means to realize full financial management potential underneath the African Continental Free Commerce Settlement (AfCFTA).
There have been additionally fears over the way forward for the $1.5 billion funding, which is anticipated so as to add $361 billion to the economic system and generate $201 billion in income to the federal and state authorities companies by way of taxes, royalties and duties in addition to creating no less than 200,000 jobs.
The ports of Lome in Togo, Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire and Accra in Ghana amongst different neighbouring international locations nonetheless appeal to massive volumes of commerce in West Africa as Lekki port battles to safe intermodal transport and heavy reliance on barges for its cargo evacuation.
Stakeholders had harped on fixing the street, particularly for these whose locations usually are not linked by waterways.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, through the completion ceremony of the port, reaffirmed the federal government’s dedication to the well timed supply of the street infrastructure across the Ibeju-Lekki axis to make sure seamless evacuation of cargo from the port.
Highway infrastructure improve
The deep seaport is related by three main roads – Ijebu-Ode-Epe-Lekki-Eleko coastal roads, Lekki-Ajah-Eleko coastal roads and Ikorodu-Itokin-Epe roads, which have been in dire want of repairs.
Fearful by the state of the roads and the necessity to place the nation because the world maritime logistics hub in West Africa and the Central African area, the Lagos and Ogun state governments commenced rehabilitation and improve of the street infrastructure to reshape the narrative of cargo evacuation and usher in an period of unparalleled effectivity in well timed supply of cargoes.
The Guardian went on a tour of the roads to determine the present state and located that a number of the connecting roads have undergone rehabilitation with works nonetheless in progress on some.
On the coronary heart of this improve is the finished concrete enlargement of the Lekki-Epe expressway from Ajah to Eleko junction and that of Oke-Oso/Itokin street to Araga-Poka street in addition to the Oke-Oso/Itokin street to Araga-Poka street.
The Guardian correspondent additionally noticed that the upgrading of the Itokin to Ijebu-Ode expressway is accomplished in addition to that of the Ijebu-Ode to Epe street with two toll gates mounted, whereas the dualisation of the Lekki-Epe street from Ibeju-Agbe to T-Junction in Epe is at 95 per cent completion stage.
It was gathered that the latest enhancements in infrastructure surrounding the port have improved cargo evacuation by street from 20 to 60 per cent and decreased evacuation by waterways by way of barging to 40 per cent.
An official of the port instructed The Guardian that on the inception of the port’s operation, it was tough to maneuver cargoes by street because of the poor state, as evacuation depended solely on barges, which was fairly costly.
The official stated with the entire street infrastructure, cargoes depart the port by way of the Ijebu-Ode to Epe street and the Ikorodu-Itokin street resulting in Ijebu-Ode, including that prospects now take pleasure in seamless supply of their cargoes at decreased price.
“I can inform you that the variety of cargoes leaving Lekki Port by street has been on the rise in the previous few months since these roads have been accomplished. We now do 60 per cent street evacuation of cargoes.
“Extra roads are nonetheless being constructed and we anticipate the proportion of cargo evacuation to enhance as these roads get accomplished,” the official said.
Ongoing improvement
Whereas different street rehabilitation tasks have been accomplished, works are nonetheless in progress to make sure the remaining roads linking the port are mounted to set the port for financial competitiveness and place the nation as a formidable drive within the world commerce enviornment.
The Guardian discovered that mobilisation in the direction of the entire restore of the Eleko Coastal street, which is immediately feeding Lekki deep seaport, has commenced and present process phased repairs with concrete pavement and enlargement plans already ongoing.
Additionally, plans are ongoing for the development of the seventh Axial street, a 50-kilometer route from the port into the hinterland and past, which holds the potential to open up new avenues for cargo motion.
The port official stated the street building is being carried out in phases, which when accomplished, would lastly open Lekki port to world commerce.
The port official expressed hope for work to start on the brand new seventh Axial street, noting that with this street, cargoes can fully lower off the Eleko junction whereas navigating into the hinterland of Ijebu-Itele and past.
Container freighter docked at Lekki port
Stakeholders react
The Common Secretary, Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), Mohammed Sani, recommended the continued street rehabilitation by the Lagos state authorities to ease the motion of cargoes to and from the Lekki Port.
He stated this mission will stop the replication of gridlock that has been taking a severe opposed socio-economic toll on Apapa/Tincan Island logistics corridors, arising from a street infrastructure deficit that can’t address the amount of vehicles which can be flooding the ports day by day.
Sani stated the Lekki deep seaport with out an iota of doubt, is a strategic game-changer geared toward addressing the issue of chaotic gridlock and port congestion in Apapa/Tincan logistics corridors, in addition to producing income for the nation.
He stated the port can also be designed to make use of the teeming inhabitants, enterprise alternatives for truckers, and change into an African hub for transshipment/ dealing with cargoes in transit for different locations.
One of many truckers who ply the route, Frederick Omoh, stated the trucking group expects an enchancment within the share of cargo evacuation from the port because the roads get accomplished by the state governments to keep away from a duplicate of the Apapa axis.
He stated with the improved street community, truckers spend much less time throughout the port to choose up their cargoes and depart with none delay or undergo rigorous procedures.
One other trucker, Adeyinka Aroyewun, admitted that plenty of actions had began going down on the axis.
A freight forwarder, Jude Ugochukwu recommended the improve and rehabilitation of the roads, stating that the port customers can conveniently clear their items and evacuate them seamlessly with out worry of getting their items trapped on the street.
He urged the federal authorities to make sure the difficulty of rail connectivity to the port is promptly addressed to enrich the cargo motion by street and barges.