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The Chairman of SIFAX Group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, has called on the Federal Government to urgently rehabilitate and expand the capacity of Nigeria’s eastern ports, stressing that such intervention is critical to reducing congestion at the Lagos ports and boosting economic activities across the country.
Afolabi made the appeal while receiving the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Dr. Akutah Pius Ukeyima, during a courtesy visit to the SIFAX Group headquarters in Lagos.
According to him, the sustained growth in cargo traffic and commercial activities at Nigerian ports has placed enormous pressure on the Lagos port system, making it imperative for government to revive and modernise port infrastructure in the eastern corridor.
“My passionate appeal to the government is to extend the port modernisation initiative to the eastern ports. As you can see, economic activities at the ports are increasing year after year. Most of these activities are concentrated in Lagos, and the facilities have been stretched to their limits, resulting in congestion that ultimately affects port efficiency,” he said.
Afolabi specifically called for the dredging and revitalisation of the Warri, Onne and Calabar ports to enable them to accommodate larger vessels and serve as viable alternatives to Lagos ports.
“This is the time for the government to resuscitate those ports in the eastern part of Nigeria. Government needs to dredge the Warri, Onne and Calabar ports so that large vessels can berth there safely and reduce the pressure on the Lagos ports,” he added.
The SIFAX Group chairman noted that years of inadequate attention to the eastern ports have negatively impacted the nation’s overall port efficiency and limited the contribution of those facilities to economic development.
He also expressed concern over the persistent traffic challenges along the Tin Can Island Port corridor, describing the gridlock as a major burden on businesses and transport operators. According to him, the road infrastructure in the area was never designed to handle the current volume of traffic, resulting in increased logistics costs and operational inefficiencies.
Speaking during the visit, Ukeyima commended Afolabi and SIFAX Group for their significant investments in Nigeria’s maritime sector, describing the company as one of the country’s foremost maritime conglomerates.
He said SIFAX Group has continued to leverage opportunities across the maritime value chain to support economic growth, job creation and industry development.
The NSC boss assured the company of the Council’s readiness to deepen collaboration with stakeholders to advance reforms and drive sustainable growth in the maritime industry.
