A statement issued by NPA, disclosed that the dilapidated state of the road since almost two decades has led to its decision to collaborate with other stakeholders, inclusing Flour Mills Plc and Dangote Group, who agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding facilitated by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to reconstruct the entire access road.
It reiterated that despite the fact that repair of roads is not its statutory responsibility, it has committed the sum of N1.8 billion , which was paid to contractors from Messers AG Dangote Construction Company to mobilise to site in July 2017 for the reconstruction of the Wharf Road.
The Statement reads in part: “In anticipation of the congestion that the current reconstruction was bound to cause, the NPA had set up a committee then chaired by the General Manager, Western Ports on the decongestion of Port access roads.
“The committee included representatives of the Lagos State government, the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Ports Police Command, and Department of State Services and other major stakeholders including truckers as mainly represented by the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO)
“The Authority is therefore, not just to working towards reducing congestion, but to also ensure that less pressure is put on the roads by enhancing opportunities to use other modes of transportation. The Authority is aware of the current situation on the access roads and assures all users of the ports that everything possible is being done to alleviate the situation.
“The NPA is grateful to all stakeholders for their cooperation and patience pending the completion of construction works on the road and assures of its readiness to discuss with stakeholders on further ways to lighten the burden on road users”.
The statement further disclosed that talks are on with the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to facilitate the movement of cargo by rail to and from Apapa Ports and increase the frequency of evacuation since one train movement is equal to about 70 truck movements.
The movement of cargo by barges as alternative to road transportation has also received approval.
