Quick Takes
Stakeholders Proffer Solution for Apapa Gridlock
Stakeholders in the maritime sector of the economy have said the relocation of all the tank farms in the area which often attract the articulated vehicles to the area, will reduce the gridlock in Apapa, Lagos.
The gridlock, which arose from the blockade of the highways leading to the Apapa depots, literally brought vehicular movement to a standstill in Lagos.
Spokesman for the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Mr. Bolaji Akinola said that the tank farms must be decentralised as a major solution to the problem of traffic jams in Apapa.
He noted that the association had always suggested that petroleum products could be piped closer to different geopolitical zones, moved through rail wagons and barges to avoid the extended pressure on the road.
On his part, the President of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Mr. Lucky Amiwero said the concentration of tank farms in Apapa was not in the interest of the maritime industry.
He said the nation should first consider critical actions like building of refineries, rather than remaining import-dependent for petroleum products.
Amiwero urged the ministries of transport, finance, works and petroleum resources to convene a critical meeting where the issues should be addressed in the interest of the nation’s economy.
Freight Forwarders Seeks ANLCA Deregistration
Freight forwarders in the country have called for the deregistration of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA).
The freight forwarders, under the aegis of Concerned Accredited Freight Forwarding Associations (CAFFA) may pass a vote of no- confidence on the Registrar, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN) if he fails to take firm disciplinary action against its erring members.
They stated this in Lagos when a faction of the National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), Association of Registered Freight Forwarders (AREFF) and National Association of Freight Forwarders and Consolidators (NAFFAC) addressed a press conference.
Recalling the attack on some CRFFN officials and other freight forwarders at Seme border recently, which was allegedly carried out by members of ANLCA over the collection of practitioners’ operating fee, the freight forwarders said that had Jukwe recognised his authority as the Registrar of the council, which is an agency of the government, he should have written to the Inspector General of Police to arrest and prosecute those responsible for such act.
“Jukwe will definitely be our next line of action if he cannot take responsibility and act accordingly. Leadership has a lot to do with who is in charge, we have told him and I hope he will listens to us.
“What Jukwe would have done if he knows the position he is holding is to write to the IGP as the head of an agency of government.
United Airlines to End Service at JFK
United Airlines plans to end service at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport in October. The airline has failed to make profit at the airport over seven years because it offered few connections to other cities, and add flights at its Newark, New Jersey, hub.
Beginning October 25, United will transfer its only flights from JFK, which serve Los Angeles and San Francisco, to Newark Liberty Airport, its hub in New Jersey with hundreds of connecting flights.
The move marks an effort by United to win passengers in the highly competitive transcontinental market, where rivals American, Delta and JetBlue have invested heavily in renovating aircraft cabins and airport terminals.
United said it was transferring the “Premium Service” 757 aircraft to Newark, where customers will have access to connecting flights, new restaurants and technology displays following a $2 billion investment.