- THE Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) as part of government effort in decongesting the ports access roads off trucks, is set to construct a Truck Transit Park (TTP) in Ogere, Ogun State.
Speaking on Tuesday while on an on-the-spot assessment visit of the earmarked piece of land, the Executive Secretary/CEO of the NSC, Mr Hassan Bello said the agency will be opening up talks with the Ogun State government on the proposed Truck Transit Park.
According to the Shippers Council boss, “this is just a trailer park. What we need is a TTP with hotels for hostels and accommodation purposes. A TTP should also have chain of restaurants and of cause petrol stations.
“That is why we are currently talking to the investment section of the NNPC in partnership with the NEXIM bank to make them have interest in a standard TTP project.
“This place in Ogere that I have seen today is good, but not yet in tune with a standard TTP specification; but it can be upgraded seriously to make it fit into what we think. We will have to talk with the Ogun State government to see what arrangement can be made to make it fit into what we want.
“We will have to involve the private sector because we are looking at a PPP arrangement for the Truck Transit Parks.
“Because of proximity to Lagos, it can be a staging point for port operations.”
Speaking on the sideline of the visit, some truck drivers’ owners who had their trucks on the land said the project, when completed, will go a long way in alleviating the pains truckers go through while transiting the ports.
In their words, “We hope this TTP idea becomes a reality because most of us sleep on the road just to gain access to the ports. Aside the security implication this pose to us, it is also hazardous to our health.
“We laud this initiative of government and hope it is completed in no time.”
It would be recalled that due to lack of a Truck Transit Park at the nations seaports, many of the ports access roads have been turned into a parking lot by truckers entering and exiting the ports in Lagos. This has rendered the Apapa and Tin-Can ports in Lagos to perform below capacity, as access to the ports have become chaotic.
