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Primeport urges government, operators to maximise nationwide ports

By Wole Oyebade
19 July 2019   |   2:59 am
Primeport logistics has urged the Federal Government and operators to create activities at the ports nationwide, as a means of decongesting Lagos and Abuja ports.

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A picture taken on April 8, 2019 shows shipping containers sitting at the Apapa Port Complex in Lagos, Nigeria’s economy hub. – The Nigerian port is congested with hundreds of ships, idly queueing for days to offload containers with goods. Lagos port congestion is affecting port operations and creating a severe backlog at ports, causing carriers’ containers to be held in port for extra days, as well as creating several miles of truck traffic at roads that links to port gates. (Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)

Primeport logistics has urged the Federal Government and operators to create activities at the ports nationwide, as a means of decongesting Lagos and Abuja ports.

The Port Harcourt-based company advised the government to ensure all its awarded contracts in the South-south region are processed in the region, to encourage traffic and increase cargo activities in the area.

Founder and Managing Director of the company, Femi Adewunmi, faulted the action of some oil companies that generate cargo in the South-South region but process the same in Lagos.

Adewunmi said the action depletes the revenue of the South-South region, and at the same time worsens the road network, noting that Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Maiduguri are supposed to be cargo hubs, but only Lagos and Abuja are currently maximised.

He commended Turkish Airline for commencing flights into Port Harcourt, saying the move will attract a lot of businesses into the area and its neighbouring cities.

“There has always been a gap in the South-South region. Most of the current airlines that come to Port Harcourt, such as Air France and Lufthansa, focus on the business market like the oil and gas market. There is a gap in the lower middle end of the market, such as the people that go on holidays, students and traders.

“Once there are more people coming into Port Harcourt, there will be more opportunities and businesses. Everybody in this region will benefit, and the cost of logistics and importation will be relatively cheap because you can ship closer to the place of use, rather than take it to Lagos, and start trucking it for 24 hours to other states. It is more environmentally-friendly for Port Harcourt to be that hub,” he said.

He said further that in terms of cargo, the airline will create the demand.

“There are lots of opportunities in the South-South that are untapped. We in the clearing, forwarding and importation business and we hope that this will start gaining more traction. It will increase options for Port Harcourt. Before we were restricted to two or three cargo airlines, now we have more. Cargo can be included in the passenger flight,” Adewunmi said.

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