Speed up rehabilitation of Onne Port access road, APFFLON President Ogunojemite tells FG

Speed up rehabilitation of Onne Port access road, APFFLON President Ogunojemite tells FG

The African Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the rehabilitation of the Onne Port access road in Rivers State.

The National President of the association, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, who described the road as an ‘eye sore’, made the call during the inauguration of the executive of the Onne Chapter Executive of the association recently in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
He said, “We are using this opportunity to appeal to the federal government to accelerate the repair of the road leading into the port. This is an eye sore and an impediment to the ease of doing business, not only for the port users but also for the farmers and people living in the community and its environs.”
Speaking in an interview with the Maritime Journalists Association of Nigeria (MAJAN), the APFFLON President noted that there was a need to monitor the contractor handling the rehabilitation of the road so as to hasten the process.
He said that in order not to impede the movement of goods and people during the period of rehabilitation, there is a need to provide an alternative road to ameliorate the inconveniences both port users and the community would experience during this period.
“So we are asking the government to facilitate the construction of the road, monitor the contractors, and provide an alternative link road, not only for the port users but also the host community, particularly the farmers,” Ogunojemite stated.
He also noted that the road remains very important as it serves as a transit route to Uyo in Akwa Ibom State and other areas and most importantly, it is the access road through which farmers transport their farm produce.
Speaking further, the APFFLON President noted that the association used the opportunity of the inauguration of the Onne chapter of its executive to visit the Controller of the Nigeria Customs Area (CAC) of Onne Port Command, ACG B. Imam, adding that they had a robust discussion particularly on trade facilitation, revenue generation, and export trade.
On his assessment of the activities of Onne Port, Ogunojemite said: “One of the impediments we have there is the deplorable state of infrastructure, and more importantly, the access road, which is in very bad shape.”
Commended the command for its activities in the port, which he described as ‘impressive’ he lamented that the current unstable state of the naira is killing businesses and causing untold hardship to Nigerians, adding: “The per capita income of the people has no value anymore.”
Despite all these, Ogunojemite noted that the Onne Port is actually living up to expectations, even though the port has only one scanner.
“The government should provide more scanners in the port. Customs service delivery in the port is impressive, but the port lacks adequate infrastructure.
“The Onne Port lacks infrastructure. If a truck breaks down on the road, it is usually very difficult to remove it, and this affects the time goods are moved from the port to the town,” Ogunojemite concluded.