Apapa Gridlock: Export Cargoes Rot Away in Warehouses

• Apapa Gridlock: Export Cargoes Rot Away in Warehouses

Non-oil exporters have lamented the negative impact of the Apapa gridlock and port congestion on their earnings.

One of the exporters, Mr. Sotonye Anga, told our correspondent that the situation was causing a delay in shipment, adding that shipment that should ordinarily take one day was beginning to take five days.

He said because of this, exporters were unable to meet up with their contractual obligations and even as they had their capital tied up in banks.

“When we should have shipped more, we are shipping less. There are so many warehouses filled with goods that should have been exported. And when these goods stay too long in the warehouses, they lose their original value. This is impacting negatively on our earnings,” he said.

He suggested that alternative ports should be used for the exportation of goods instead of Apapa.

The National President, National Cashew Association of Nigeria, Mr. Tola Faseru, suggested that the government should establish a base outside the port where goods coming in should be taken for the owners to pick them up and a place where empty containers should be deposited, so as to ease the traffic situation at the ports.

The Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators of Nigeria, Mrs. Ify Haastrup, had expressed fears that there might be congestion at the port due to the ongoing palliative work being done on the Apapa Ijora/Wharf road.

She explained that it was difficult for containers to enter the ports because empty containers that had been offloaded were unable to get out due to the traffic situation.