House Demands FG Urgent Intervention on Ports Access Roads
*Says four Lagos customs commands could generate N500bn monthly if poor roads are fixed
The House of Representatives Wedesnday expressed concerns over the poor access roads in the ports and demanded federal government’s urgent attention to address the probem.
The House said government should dedicate two months revenue generated by four Commands of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to complete the roads which is under rehabilitation.
According to the House, this was necessary to also ensure optimal revenue generation from the ports.
The resolution of the House followed adoption of a motion on urgent public importance moved during plenary by Hon. Leke Abejide.
Abejide told the House that the state of the roads was discovered during the overshight function visits by members of the House Committee on Customs to Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service Command.
According to him, members of the Committee went round under difficult terrain and discovered the problems facing the commands and the ports industry, adding that Nigerian ports could collapse soon if urgent intervention was not made.
He decried the conditions under which stakeholders, commuters and residents in the ports areas go through as a result of the bad roads.
He disclosed that the situation is so bad that it takes an average of 60 days for turnaround of a container within Lagos in what should not take more than five days.
He added that due to the poor roads, the country could be losing an average of five times which should have been realized as revenue.
For instance, he said that the four Lagos customs commands could generate as much as N500bn monthly instead of what is currently being generted if the poor infrastructure was fixed.
Abejide also identified high level corruption among officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), security agents, police and the Presidential Task Force as among the problems causing the Apapa gridlock.
The House had on consideration of the motion called on the federal government to pay special attention to the construction of ports access roads.
The House of Representatives Wedesnday expressed concerns over the poor access roads in the ports and demanded federal government’s urgent attention to address the probem.
The House said government should dedicate two months revenue generated by four Commands of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to complete the roads which is under rehabilitation.
According to the House, this was necessary to also ensure optimal revenue generation from the ports.
The resolution of the House followed adoption of a motion on urgent public importance moved during plenary by Hon. Leke Abejide.
Abejide told the House that the state of the roads was discovered during the overshight function visits by members of the House Committee on Customs to Zone A of the Nigeria Customs Service Command.
According to him, members of the Committee went round under difficult terrain and discovered the problems facing the commands and the ports industry, adding that Nigerian ports could collapse soon if urgent intervention was not made.
He decried the conditions under which stakeholders, commuters and residents in the ports areas go through as a result of the bad roads.
He disclosed that the situation is so bad that it takes an average of 60 days for turnaround of a container within Lagos in what should not take more than five days.
He added that due to the poor roads, the country could be losing an average of five times which should have been realized as revenue.
For instance, he said that the four Lagos customs commands could generate as much as N500bn monthly instead of what is currently being generted if the poor infrastructure was fixed.
Abejide also identified high level corruption among officials of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), security agents, police and the Presidential Task Force as among the problems causing the Apapa gridlock.
The House had on consideration of the motion called on the federal government to pay special attention to the construction of ports access roads.
FOLLOW US
About Post Author
