The Secretary, Shippers’ Association of Lagos State, Mr Jonathan Nicol, yesterday pleaded with the Federal Government to urgently address the problem of congestion at the Lagos seaports.

Nicol told our correspondent  in Lagos that the Minister of  Transport, Sen. Idris Umar, should proffer solution to the menace.

He said that the two major seaports in Lagos had become congested as importers and exporters had flooded the ports with cargoes.

He said that the situation was getting worse and out of control.

Nicol suggested that the Nigerian Shippers’ Council should be appointed as port regulator in the bid to address the situation.

He also suggested that military personnel should be assigned to clear the usual traffic logjam along Mile 2 –Apapa expressway, linking the two seaports.

The shipper also advised the Nigeria Customs Service to sanction corrupt officers who delayed release of cargoes.

He said that customs tariffs should be reduced to encourage shippers to pay the correct import duties.

Nicol advised that shipping companies and terminal operators should grant waivers so that more containers could be cleared daily.

He also suggested that shipping companies should remove empty containers in the ports within 60 days to reduce the congestion.

Our correspondent reports that many trucks, laden with empty containers, are creating traffic bottlenecks along the Mile 2–Apapa expressway.

It would be  recalled that Prof. Sylvester Monye, the Chairman of Presidential Monitoring Committee on Ports Reform, had in March, claimed that his committee had reduced cargo clearance from 39 days to seven days.

He said the committee’s target was to achieve 48-hour cargo clearance in line with developments in Cotonou and Ghana ports.

“Our mandate is not only to achieve 48-hour cargo clearing regime, but to ensure that the road users within the Apapa area conduct their legitimate business comfortably,’’ he said.