Barge Operators Claim Exclusion at Apapa Port

The Barge Operators Association of Nigeria has accused terminal operators at Apapa Port of a deliberate exclusionary strategy that adversely affects their operations. In a statement released on Friday, the association's president, Olubunmi Olumekun, highlighted that the terminal operators are denying local operators access to berth windows, which is crucial for their business.

This situation is said to hinder local content from thriving and manipulate pricing, ultimately impacting the common man by raising market prices. Olumekun pointed out that maritime law mandates that every terminal must leave a 50-meter space for emergency evacuation, a requirement he claims is being flagrantly violated.

He further accused the terminal operators of directly sabotaging President Bola Tinubu's local content and blue economy agenda. Nura Wagani, the director of enforcement operations at the association, contrasted the situation at Apapa with that at Tin Can Island Port, noting that local barge operators are being driven away due to exorbitant rates at Apapa.