Amaechi wants urgent solution to gridlock, port congestion at Tin-Can Port

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, yesterday, expressed displeasure over the lingering gridlock and congestion on Lagos ports corridor, as he visited the trouble spots at Tin Can Island Port, Lagos.
   
Amaechi, who was accompanied by the Managing Director of Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Hadiza Usman and Executive Secretary of Nigeria Shippers’ Council, Hassan Bello, wants to proffer a solution to the lingering congestion at the port.

The NPA boss said by January 2021, an electronic clearing system for cargoes would be introduced to prevent gridlock at the port.

“Lagos State government plans to give a designated truck park at Orile, where trucks will park until their cargo is cleared electronically before they can proceed to the port. We are planning to deploy an e-call-up system in January 2021. We will provide an electronic call-up system within the ports and designation truck parks. Trucks will no more be parked randomly on the road. We are going to have a designated park and when you are called upon, you can enter the port. The e-call up will also remove human intervention and eliminate corrupt practices,” Usman said.

Also, Bello said Shippers’ Council, on a daily basis, has always tried to proffer temporary solutions to the gridlock, adding that with the festive period, more goods were expected to be imported into the country, which called for urgent actions.