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| The Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, Hadiza Bala Usman (left) and the Corp Marshal of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi exchanging copies of the MOU between both organizations at the corporate headquarters of NPA in Marina, Lagos. |
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The Managing Director of
Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, has given March 1 deadline
to the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) for enforcement of the minimum
standard of safety and road worthiness for trucks plying the nation’s six major
ports.
Speaking during the
signing of a Memorandum of Understanding ( MoU) with the FRSC in Lagos,
yesterday, Usman said the NPA has the responsibility to protect lives and
properties of all stakeholders accessing its services by ensuring that all
articulated vehicles and trucks which on daily basis freight containers and
assorted bulk cargoes to different parts of the country from the ports meet the
required minimum safety standards.
Usman said NPA was
collaborating with the FRSC as part of efforts to put lasting solutions to the
Oshodi-Apapa expressway gridlock.
To ensure full compliance,
she said NPA is collaborating with FRSC and other safety enforcement agencies
to achieve safety standard for trucks accessing the ports by adopting the Road
Traffic Safety Standarisation Scheme, which include regular inspection and
certification.
“Apapa for example is home
to Nigerian’s two foremost ports which are being managed by nine terminal
operators. Between the two ports, more than 65 per cent of dry cargoes and
about 90 per cent of the nation’s liquid (petroleum products) are handled. This
is because it hosts about 35 tank farms in addition to the numerous other
businesses that are located in this port city.
“Going by the operational
activities highlighted above, there is always heavy vehicular traffic around
all port locations and most of these vehicles are not in good state.
“This debilitating
vehicular traffic has assumed a frightening dimension in so many port areas. It
has led to serious accidents that have claimed innocent lives and several
manhours lost in traffic jam. Miscreants in armed robbery and other social
vices have been on the increase because of the perennial traffic situation in
those areas,” Usman said.
She said past efforts put
in place by NPA, some state governments and terminal operators to ameliorate
the situation have not produced desired outcome because most of the vehicles
plying the road are not road worthy. She urged the FRSC to ensure that no
rickety vehicle enters the port.
In his address, Corps
Marshal of the FRSC, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi said his agency was happy over NPA’s
initiative and tasked owners of heavy duty trucks operating within and around
the ports on the need to strictly adhere to the minimum safety standards in
order to ensure safety of haulage operations.
He said FRSC will enforce
all the aspects of the MoU.
He said adequate and
appropriate driver education and speed limit devices are vital and would
therefore be enforced by his men.
He said from March 1, the
field commands of the agency would be fully mobilised for the enforcement of
the MoU.
Credit: shipsandports.com.ng
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