Adegboyega Oyetola, the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, has appealed to David Umahi, the Minister of Works, for help in carrying out an immediate complete repair and upkeep of all the country’s crumbling ports’ roadways.
During his visit to the ministry in Abuja on Tuesday evening, Oyetola personally delivered the message to the Umahi. He noted that fifteen roads needed immediate attention and that the access roads leading to the ports were crucial to the ports’ effectiveness.
Oyetola claims that the state of the country’s access roads is causing importers and exporters to incur high transportation costs, longer transit times, and an increased risk of accidents. She goes on to say that these problems taken together impede national economic growth, deter foreign investment, and weaken the nation’s ability to compete internationally.
Among the access roads are the 1.6 km dual carriageway found in the Lagos Port Complex, the 3 km access route to Tincan Island, the 15.3 km dual carriageway at Eleme Junction – Trailer Park Junction in Onne Port, and the 3.1 km FLT-FOT Roundabout single carriageway located in Onne Port.
The Umahi responded by thanking Oyetola and commending him for making the effort to come to his office with the request. Along with Oyetola, he pledged to address the issue right away, believing that repairing the designated access roads would improve port productivity and contribute to the nation’s economic expansion.
Umahi asked his counterpart to choose a delegate who would meet with a director in the Ministry of Works on Wednesday to discuss how to accomplish the current work.
