The Association of Nige
rian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) recently threatened to shut both Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports in Lagos due to the incessant gridlock on the ports’ access roads.
The President of ANLCA, Mr Olayiwola Shittu, made the disclosure in an interview with our correspondent  in Lagos.
He said his members were getting ready to down tools, saying that the situation had become unbearable.
Shittu said the only thing which could stop the action of his members was urgent measures by government and its agencies to address the gridlock.
The Tide reports that ANLCA constitutes a major arm of Nigerian port operators and generates a huge sum of revenue in form of customs duties through their clients (importers and exporters).
Shittu told newsmen that a crucial meeting of the association had been scheduled to hold on June 30, adding that the strike would be one of the major issues to be discussed.
He said with the gridlock, economic activities in the ports had collapsed and man-hour loss was enormous.
“It takes an average of four days for a trailer to have access to load at the terminals.
“Without solution soon, our association may have no option than to close the ports for fuel tankers to take over permanently,” he said.
The President of Shippers’ Association in Lagos State, Mr Jonathan Nicol, told reporters that a State of Emergency in the maritime sector was inevitable as a result of the gridlock.
According to Nicol, the effect of the incessant gridlock is grossly affecting businesses.
He explained that the volume of containers cleared from Apapa and Tin-Can port had reduced by more than half.
The shipper said that revenue had also been affected, adding that under normal atmosphere, Apapa port should be delivering between 300 to 400 containers daily.
Nicol said that this figure had been reduced by more than half as a result of many trapped empty containers on trucks.
He said, “Shippers (importers) are losing container deposits on those trapped empty container-laden trucks to the gridlock.”
Nicol said that exporters too could not send exports cargo into the ports to meet up with booked vessels to transport the goods out of the country to ports of destination
“This has resulted in additional 100 dollars per tonne to re-book another vessel. Cost of local transport has gone up by 50 per cent,” he said.
Nicol also said that the stress on road users was destructive, while waiting at one spot for several hours.