With Tank Farms, Apapa is Like an Accident Waiting to Happen, Laments Ship Owners Forum Chairman
big Industrial oil tanks in a refinery
*Says tank farms owners are saboteurs to general public
By Francis Ugwoke
The sprawling number of tank farms around the nation’s premier port, Apapa and environs, has remained a big source of concern to stakeholders in the maritime industry because of the threat to life and businesses.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Ship Owners Forum, Barr Mrs Margret Orakwusi, lamented that the situation is like an accident waiting to happen.
This is coming after other prominent customs brokers and freight forwarders had expressed their concerns about the surrounding number of tank farms around Apapa and environment.
Speaking on the occasion of the Roundtable organised by the League of Maritime Editors and Publishers (LOMEP) in Lagos, Orakwusi said while she would not want to sound like a prophet of doom, ”Apapa is like an accident waiting to happen”.
Describing Apapa as serving as a commercial city and residential area, she argued that frankly speaking the two do not go together.
She explained that the point being made is to guide against future development, adding that this was so considering that as far as Apapa is concerned nothing would likely happen differently to change the trend.
She said many people have had to abandon their offices in Apapa because of the presence of the tank farms, adding that there was the need to highlight the dangers so that more approvals for tank farms in the area would not be given.
She also added that it was also to ensure that the existing ones comply with international standards and safety regulations.
She said it was worrisome that some agencies, including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) have only been concerned with generating revenue.
She said, “Without sounding like a prophet of doom, Apapa is like an accident waiting to happen. We all know it. Some of us have also abandoned our offices in Apapa. Apapa is also a commercial city for the country because over 60 per cent of the goods we use in this country by export come in through Apapa port so it’s not like a small place. Apapa is a commercial city, it houses residences, tank farms and the nation’s port. Let’s be frank about it, these things don’t go together. And we need to understand and appreciate that in future development because I don’t think anything is going to happen differently in Apapa but we also need to highlight the dangers so that more approvals for tank farms would not be given, the existing ones we gave to be sure they comply with international standards and safety regulations. The authorities may be firm that existing tank farms follow the rules on safety, aside from that I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do about it. There must also be effective compliance because it’s the federal government that’s the head of government.
“It’s like some agencies are concerned with generating revenue which includes the Customs but in some civilised countries, it’s trade facilitation. The primary function should be trade facilitation yet we overtax and outdo other agencies. So, we’ll just keep talking may be one day they’ll hear”.
It would be recalled that both former President of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Prince Olayiwola Shittu and Founder, National Association of Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Dr. Boniface Aniebonam had all expressed concerns over the increasing number of tank farms in Apapa which is also a residential area.
Industry experts said that government appears handicapped over the situation since the cost of moving any tank farm to another location is as good as building another one.
FOLLOW US
About Post Author
