.Says businesses are being frustrated
By Uzor Odigbo
The Executive Secretary Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello, has blamed poor infrastructure for the high cost of doing business in the country.
On a routine visit to some shipping companies in Apapa, Bello said that the high cost of doing business in the country has not been as a result of increase in charges by providers of shipping companies, but the disruption and distortion by failed infrastructure.
Admitting that the roads were not good, he said that the government was trying to remove the bottlenecks hindering the ease of doing business at the port.
“We know there are lots of problems responsible for the high cost of doing business in Nigeria ports but there is no former increase by providers of shipping service neither the terminals, nor shipping companies or even the government institutions have raised charges, but the charges we are having is as a result of disruption and distortion by the failure of infrastructure, the roads are just not good now, we admit but government is doing very serious thing about this.
“If you look at the Oshodi-Tin Can-Mile 2 axis, you will see the level of work done so far; that is a major road where we evacuate cargoes from the Port.
“Congestion was up to 30 days but now it is coming down to 20 days, so you see that things are happening.”
Bello said that the council was introducing four cardinal solutions to the hiccups inhibiting the ease of doing business in ports, which include 24-hour Port Operations, rail delivery among others.
“We want to make sure that by first quarter of 2021, we are introducing four cardinal things, we want 24hr- Port Operations .
“Our ports operate within limited time that means cargo will come and nobody will work on it.
“We are working with Customs NPA, NIMASA, NIWA and other agencies to make sure that 24-hr Port operation will commence and this will mean that at everytime our ports will work just like the airport.
“Now we are also having rail, the government is constructing rail now up to Apapa port. So rail will evacuate most of the cargoes. So with that, we will give the truckers a run for their money.
“Then the barge operation has helped in no small measure, as we are to barge cargoes for delivery evacuation. This has helped in no small way, and that’s why we have 20% congestion at the sea side.
“We know it is tough, we know people are complaining but please bear with us. This is the time of construction and you have to bear some pains if you want things to be alright,” he said.