Volunteers to ease gridlocks on ports roads

Dr Bashir Jamoh, President, Chartered Institute of Transport Administration of Nigeria (CIoTA), has said that the Institute would introduce volunteer service for intermodal transportation to ease gridlock on ports access roads.
Jamoh said this on the sideline of the investiture ceremony of CIoTA held on Tuesday in Lagos.
He said that the introduction of intermodal transportation would stop constant traffic on the ports access roads and reduce costs of doing business.
Jamon said that transportation was essential in moving cargo, noting that once there is ease of transportation, things would move easily.
He commended the Federal Government on the rail revolution.
“Today we are using rail line from Abuja to Kaduna which was completed by this government.
“There is also mono rail transport from Abuja city to Airport, the Lagos -Abeokuta is already functioning and now Abeokuta to Ibadan.
“By the time we start looking at the cargo movement using the rail line, you agree with me that most of traffic problems will now reduce to about 40 to 50 per cent.
According to him, it is efficiency that made other countries’ ports competitive.
“For example, in Singapore it takes less than 24-hours to clear cargo from the port but when you come to our port it takes seven days to clear cargo out of the port.
“As an association, what we intend to do is to introduce volunteer services to see how we can ease the traffic situation as a short term,” Jamoh said.
He said that there was need for posible utilisation of the Inland Water Services, adding that most of the cargos coming through the Western port were heading toward the north.
Jamoh, who is also Executive Director, Finance, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said that Baro port had been inaugurated to accommodate cargoes going to the north.
He said that if cargoes were discharge at Baro port, about 70 per cent of cost as well as traffic elements of the Western port would be reduced.