The newly-appointed Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, has expressed his amazement at the operations of Nigeria’s indigenous seaport terminal operator, Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited, operator of Terminal C, Tin Can Island Port, Apapa, Lagos.
During his maiden tour and inspection of the seaports in Lagos, the minister, who is former governor of Osun State, could not hide his enthusiasm at discovering that an indigenous seaport operator could be performing so well and very competitive in a business hitherto a premium for foreign operators.
The minister was received by the management of the terminal led by Capt. Ibraheem Olugbade, Executive Director, Administration.
Upon arrival at the terminal, he was taken on a tour of the facilities of the terminal. Oyetola was excited at the level of infrastructural development and investment in the terminal and assured that the Federal Government would provide the enabling environment to make sure that investments in the maritime sector are secured.
Dr Taiwo Afolabi, CEO, Ports & Cargo
He said: “I am excited at what I have seen here today. As an indigenous terminal of repute, I take particular interest in the success of this terminal and its operations. We are working with relevant agencies to see that various issues hampering successful operations are resolved so the terminal operator can contribute more to the industry’s success.”
While welcoming the Minister to the Terminal, Capt. Ibraheem Olugbade, said the Ports & Cargo Handling Services Limited is one of the indigenous terminal operators in the country. He hinted that the terminal was waiting for the Federal Government to resolve the logjam around the concession renewal in order for the terminal to receive more investments that would boost the economy.
Ports & Cargo Terminals is a subsidiary of SIFAX Group owned by a successful Nigerian businessman, Dr Taiwo Afolabi. It is the largest container terminal in Tin Can Island Port Complex in Apapa, Lagos.
The Economy recalls that while the terminal targetted 300,000 TEUs in 2021, available statistics show that in 2020, the terminal recorded an increase of 12,153 TEUS to cap at 242,195 TEUS as against 2019’s figure of 230,042 TEUS. The full import figure rose from 109,367 TEUS in 2019 to 122,243 TEUS while the export of empty containers also witnessed an increase from 94,041 TEUS in 2019 to 96, 605 TEUS in 2020.
