Heads of maritime agencies in Nigeria have agreed to work on modalities for the movement of cargo by barges from Lagos ports to Onitsha, in Anambra state so as to ease traffic in Apapa.

Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh, disclosed this at a recent meeting of all heads of maritime agencies in Lagos

Jamoh said the meeting constituted a committee to produce a work plan for the 24-hour port system and agreed to carry communities around the port environments along in order to ensure safe operations within the port vicinities and beyond.

"We also agreed to work with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) on how the movement of cargoes from the ports can be done by rail to reduce the pressure on our roads.

“Our focus is also to ensure containers are moved by barges to dry ports outside the port environments. All these would help in the efficiency and effectiveness of our ports.”

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Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, also emphasized the need for an intermodal transport system in and around the port environments. Usman said Nigeria must prioritize intermodal transportation to reap the benefits of shipping and port activities.

She said the heads of maritime agencies agreed to work with the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) to facilitate movement of cargo from the ports by rail.

Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Dr. George Moghalu, said safety formed a major part of the discussion.