It is the month of October just two months away from Christmas, a period that the port witnesses high importation of cargo which invariably results in both high human and vehicular traffic at the port.
As it is, there are no visible preparations for the load of goods that will be coming to the port in terms of road maintenance, acquisition of more facilities to facilitate easy clearance of cargo.
The roads are still in their age long state of disrepair, dotted with pot holes, some roads blocked on one side as a result of the repairs going on.
How well is the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) bracing up for the tide of piracy that may increase?
Lately, NIMASA collaborated with some security agencies to help stem the menace of piracy in our territorial waters even to the extent of engaging the Nigerian Air Force to help curb it through aerial surveillance; this drew a lot of applause from many stakeholders but as the government are devising new strategies, so are the pirates also.
This is to say that NIMASA must not fold its hands or go to bed yet since no one knows what these attackers on sea are likely to devise to beat the security measures put on ground.
The new port police commissioner may need to put more strategies on ground to avoid another round of life-snuffing traffic jam like the recent one that almost crumbled businesses in the port arena.
Some of the road junctions are often left to the care of few female police officers who may not be capable to control the large number of vehicles plying the roads hence the most dreaded monster rears its ugly head.
It is time the Nigeria Customs Service begin to carry out maintenance work on its antenna so avoid the old story of server failure or the agency in charge to make sure that the server will be able to carry the quantum of goods that will be coming into the country.
Worrisome too is the issue of terminal operators and shipping companies as to how they help in the supply chain by revamping their equipment where necessary, reviewing their demurrage policy so that whoever is responsible for delay of goods in the port should also be responsible for the payment.
The Federal Government is not left out as they are the beneficiary of the chunk of the revenue accruing from the port business to put the roads in order to avoid falling of containers along the roads.
This is very important because if the roads remain what they are this month of October till the December period, there is definitely going to be a harrowing traffic experience which might as well tell on the revenue of the government.
Time should be spared to take truck drivers on some tutelage on road usage if we must have a smooth operation in port.
The freight forwarders and customs agents are also enjoined to advise their clients to give genuine declaration of what is contained in their containers to avoid delay in the scheme of things.
All relevant authorities should synergise their acts to see that this coming menace does not catch ‘us’ unawares.
