The Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, has suspended trucks carrying export cargoes into ports for the next fourteen days. This measure, according to the Authority, was put in place to allow them clear the backlog currently causing congestion and consequently leading to the gridlock being experienced on the port corridor.

Speaking on Radio yesterday in Lagos monitored by Vanguard, Managing Director of the NPA, Hadiza Bala Usman, said that the congestion experienced last week was a result of influx of truck carrying export cargoes.

Bala Usman also disclosed that there were about 600 trucks of export cargoes right inside some of the container terminals while others are currently on the road waiting to access the port.

She stated that NPA in collaboration with the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, is meeting with all export stakeholders on perfecting their documentation and logistics for entering the ports with cargoes.

She said: "One of the things that arose in the last one week is that you would have seen a lot of build-up of trucks which led to front page news of the Vanguard Newspaper.

"We have actually suspended trucks accessing the ports with export cargoes with effect from today; so all export cargoes will not be allowed access into the ports for the next two weeks.

"We have a backlog of over 600 trucks that have approached the port coming out of the truck parks and are currently in that location within the port corridor, within Lilypond.

"So we are suspending all export cargoes; we have noted the challenge we have with export cargoes resulted in this congestion is that a lot of trucks carrying export cargoes starts approaching without completing their documentation and this has been a challenge for us."

Vanguard News Nigeria