By Uzor Odigbo
No fewer than 1,000 trucks laden with exported cargoes are stranded along the Lagos seaports corridor, investigations have revealed.
Our checks confirmed that the consignments which are currently scattered along Apapa-Oshodi expressway, Wharf Road and various private garages have been stranded due to improper documentations and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Multiple truck owners and shippers also accused shipping line agencies and terminal operators for the delay of the cargoes to gain entry into the ports.
The players argued that the road construction along the port corridors has little or no contribution to the delay for the exports to gain access into seaports in Lagos for onward movement, saying the concessionaires and the shipping lines allegedly frustrating trade facilitation.
Statistics has shown that exportation of Nigeria products has witnessed steady growth in the last four years and the transporters and shippers are calling on the relevant authorities to provide the right infrastructure to boost international trade.
Recall that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council recently disclosed that in 2019, Nigeria got N2.5 trillion; 2018, got N1.1 trillion; 2017, N629 billion and in 2016, it was N344 billion.
Our correspondent who spoke with drivers along the corridors confirmed that the number could be more than a thousand units , as trucks laden with exports are expected to join the queue soon.
But apparently worried about the poor process and procedures of export documentation at the nation’s port, Head of Operations, Council of Maritime Transport Union’s and Association (COMTUA), Inuwa Abdullahi alleged that shipping line agencies and terminal operators are the major problem towards ensuring smooth trade.
“We have a lot of export stranded along port corridors that are yet to be admitted into the terminals.
“Along Tin Can Island corridor. I can tell you that there are about 600 stranded containers and flat bodies alone.
Asked what might have been the cause of the delay of the exported goods to gain entry into the terminals, Inuwa explained that”Insincerity from the shipping companies and the terminal operators is the major reason behind it “adding that “On the other hand , the freight agents don’t get to inform the truck owners at the right time to bring the export in .
“At times the terminal operators select the number containers that would gain access into their facilities and in most cases some of the trucks are no where close to the ports.
He noted that before the pandemic, exported cargoes gain entry into the terminals without much stress despite the on going road construction but maintained that since the lockdown has been relaxed, the situation worsen.
According to him, the lockdown era encouraged free flow of movement of consignments from the ports, pointing out that over 50 containers laden with export are currently packed at his private garages stressing that other private garages have similar number scattered all the port arteries.
Apparently determined for exportation of Nigerian products to thrive in foreign countries, Inuwa who is a chieftain , Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) called on the federal government to convert one of the terminals for exportation as such initiative would further eliminate most of human factors militating against international trade.
He disclosed that “some of the old consignment laden with export at his private garage enter on the 30th of March 2020 and enter 31/3/2020 while some came in 5/4/2020, 6/4/2020, for almost two months.
“The new ones enter 3/5/2020 24 days now.
The truck owner said “Formally there are 44 trucks. But presently we have 34 trucks left in the garage, as 10 of the export with customs paper left yesterday”.
Corrobating the situation to our correspondent a top player in export name withheld , explained that the lockdown contributed to the stranded exports along the corridors.
According to him, truck owners have made efforts to reach out to the shippers for them make effort to commence the process of documentation but the directive by the government on restrictions of movement frustrated their efforts to do the needful.
He lamented that over 100 containers laden with export belonging to his firm are stranded along the two ports corridors in Lagos noting that the lockdown was responsible for the delay. “The figures should be more than a thousand containers because more of the export are lining up daily,” he added.
