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…As stakeholders rally to decongest Apapa ports
The cargo evacuation from Apapa Port Complex in Lagos to Ibadan, Oyo State, resumed yesterday on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge train services with hundreds of containers to be evacuated weekly as part of efforts to decongest ports.
The Nigerian Railways Corporation (NRC) in partnership with APM Terminals (APMT), as well as other stakeholders, including the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), and the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), flagged off the cargo evacuation at the port.
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The stakeholders, including all the agencies at the ports, vowed to synergise to resolve the bottlenecks which hitherto stalled the cargo evacuation on the new fast train services.
Daily Trust reports that the Minister of Transportation, Senator Saidu Alkali, had in September 2023, flagged off the cargo evacuation in partnership with Buen Logistics.
But it wasn’t long before the services stalled due to various logistics issues including double handling charges.
However, APMT is taking over the initiative after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the NRC to expand cargo movement from Apapa Port to its freight yard in Moniya, Ibadan.
The NRC Managing Director, Dr Kayode Opeifa, explained that the container traffic is scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with each train trip carrying 35 units of 40ft or 70 units of 20ft containers or a mixture of both sizes.
This implies that each trip would take 35 trailers or 70 trailers carrying containers off the roads between Lagos and Ibadan thereby reducing incidents of containers falling on Lagos roads.
Opeifa stated that with the flag-off of the initiative, truck drivers who are afraid of coming to Lagos because of the strict traffic enforcement could decide to go to Moniya Inland Dry Port in Ibadan to pick up the containers.
He stated that the initiative is a game-changer in the ease of doing business initiative of the federal government which would impact positively Nigerians in terms of reduction in the cost of goods, saying freight movement by train is cheaper and more cost-effective.
He disclosed that NRC in 2024 alone moved 362,327 tons of containers import and export in and out of APM Terminal both on the standard and narrow gauges.
“The federal government under the leadership of Mr President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, is fully committed to the revitalisation and modernisation project of the Nigerian Railway Corporation for an efficient rail system.
“As part of the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr President, this is one of the surest ways to address the cost of goods, standard of living and multi-dimensional poverty,” he said.
The Executive Secretary/CEO of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Dr Pius Ukeyima Akutah, said rail transportation remains the best, most efficient and cheapest means of freight movement.
He said the service would reduce the influx of vehicles coming in as containers would move from the vessel to the rail platform for onward evacuation to Ibadan.
The Chief Commercial Officer, APMT, Mrs Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi, stated that the event “marks a significant milestone, as it symbolizes the collective efforts of all stakeholders who have worked diligently to provide Nigerian shippers with viable alternatives to road transportation for cargo evacuation from the Apapa port.”
She stated that Apapa’s enduring strength lies in its multi-modal transportation capabilities, seamlessly integrating barge, road, and rail systems.
“This robust infrastructure enables efficient cargo handling and evacuation from the port. The results from our 2024 fiscal year reflect this efficiency, with our export volumes growing 43% over the last two years, when this accelerated process began at the end of 2022.
“We know the impact of growing exports in our economy is clear to our distinguished audience this afternoon, and cannot be overemphasised,” she added.
She explained that APMT’s collaboration with the NRC “is a testament to our commitment to not only revive the rail service from Apapa to Ibadan (and beyond), but also ensure its long-term sustainability.”
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