Barge operators allege deliberate exclusion at Apapa port

The Barge Operators Affiliation of Nigeria has decried what it described as a scientific and deliberate plot to push its members out of enterprise on the Apapa Port by some terminal operators.

In a press release on Friday, the Nationwide President of BOAN, Olubunmi Olumekun, alleged that the terminal operators have successfully cornered barge operations on the Apapa Port by denying indigenous operators entry to berthing home windows.

“Some terminal operators are taking on the barge operations and never permitting native content material to thrive. They’re making an attempt to find out the value by bringing their barges and taking on each side of enterprise on the port. This may have an effect on the widespread man on the streets and the value of products on the market,” Olumekun stated.

Olumekun talked about that maritime legislation mandates that each terminal should go away 50 metres accessible for emergency evacuation or barge operations, a provision he stated is being flagrantly violated.

“In line with worldwide legal guidelines on port operations, 50 metres is designed for emergency evacuation. Each terminal should go away 50 metres for emergency operations or barge operations, and even within the concession settlement the terminal operators signed with the Federal Authorities, the clause is said there,” Olumekun said.

Olumekun accused the terminal operators of immediately sabotaging President Bola Tinubu’s native content material and blue economic system agenda.

Additionally talking, the Director of Enforcement and Operations at BOAN, Nura Wagani, drew a pointy distinction between the state of affairs at Apapa and Tincan Island Port, noting that the disaster is basically localised at Apapa Port.

“We as barge operators have been thrown out of enterprise; no person is patronising us due to these exorbitant charges. That is solely occurring in Apapa Port. In the event you go to the Tincan Island Port, the price shouldn’t be the identical; Tincan Island is much cheaper than Apapa,” he stated.

In the meantime, an official with one of many terminal operators, who requested to not be talked about as a result of delicate nature of the matter, said that terminal operators wouldn’t need to be a part of points with BOAN.

“We don’t need to be a part of points with the barge operators; once we need to converse on that, we are going to subject an impartial assertion,” the official said.