The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said that if elected in 2023 election, he will decongest Lagos ports, create other ports and incentivize end-destination priorities.
Newsonline reports that Peter Obi said the country is blessed with several deep seaports but inexplicable reasons have killed the usefulness of other ports in the country which is responsible for the congestion of Lagos ports, killing businesses.
The Labour Party presidential candidate stated this on Tuesday while speaking at the 2022 Lagos Business School (LBS) Alumni Conference on the theme: “Creating an Enabling Environment for Business Nigeria”.
“The Nigeria Maritime sector is robust and ought to grow stronger. We are blessed with several deep seaports. However, for some inexplicable reason, we tend to cluster our import and export activities around the Lagos Ports, thus creating avoidable bottlenecks,” he said.
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He added, “We should decongest Lagos Ports via a deliberate policy of incentivizing end-destination priorities. This will also curtail on-land heavy haulage transshipments that take a tool on our road infrastructure.”
The former governor of Anambra State disagreed with the plan of the Federal government to have a national carrier.
He said private investors in Nigeria aviation industry are already performing well, adding that good policies will be implemented if elected to ensure more investors come into the industry to boost employment.
Peter Obi said, “the Nigeria Aviation industry has been correctly and properly deregulated. It should remain so. I fully understand the psychic satisfaction of a country owning a national carrier. But such an arrangement is not imperative.
“The national carrier might provide pride and employment, but we must weigh the cost-benefit aspects. We should allow the privately-owned operators and private sector to retain the lead. They already have an airline consortium and that is positive.”
Explaining his plan for the road transport sector, Obi said under his administration, the Federal government will create a High Way Trus Fund which will be jointly funded by the Federal government, state and private partners, on a ratio of 60:20:20.
He added that his administration-led Federal government will construct federal highways and bridges across all states while the state governments will be charged with its Maintainance.
Peter Obi explained further, “We will diversify the funding for our national surface transportation system (Roads, rail, bridges and mass transit) and programmes with the creation of the Highway Trust Fund Accounts. This account will be funded jointly [by federal government, states and private sector] on a 60:20:20 ratios.
“The federal government share will be funded by excise taxes levied on importation of foreign luxury vehicles and diesel fuel used by heavy haulage articulated vehicles.
“We will promulgate legislation mandating the Federal Government to build construct new federal highways and bridges, but States will have the responsibility of maintaining federal highways traversing their respective territories with allocated federal subventions calculated on a mileage/kilometer basis.”
