As efforts are being made to boost transportation of cargoes through the rail system, the Chairman, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Apapa chapter, Hon. Emeka Chukwumalu, has called for good and proper management of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) so that it would not experience decline again like it did in late 1980s when it was declared bankrupt.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting convened by the Apapa Customs Command to enhance trade facilitation and optimize cargo transportation through the rail system, Chukwumalu emphasized the need for prudent management of NRC for it to play its role efficiently.
According to the Chairman, NRC has an important role to play in seamless cargo evacuation at the premier port which can only be realized if it’s well managed.
He commended the initiative of the Area Controller of the command, Comptroller B.O Olomu PhD, to improve cargo movement at Apapa Port through multimodal transport system.
In his speech, Comptroller Olomu, said that the meeting was in line with the directive of the Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi MFR, to improve logistics through multimodal transport systems.
“Recall that rail has been in operation for quite a while, so we want to fine-tune the process to improve our trade objectives. When we have a seamless trade process, it will benefit our stakeholders who are here today,” Comptroller Olomu noted.
The CAC lauded the commitment of the partners present at the meeting, describing their participation as a “confidence booster” that reinforces the shared goal of efficient cargo movement.
The NRC Head of Operations, Mr Akin Oshinowo, who represented his organization reiterated the agency’s longstanding cooperation with the Nigeria Customs.
According to Oshinowo: “We have always found a willing partner in the Comptroller and his men, which forms part of the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) established years ago. The discussion we had today aligns with the NRC’s objectives and supports the renewed hope agenda for rail transportation in Nigeria.”
It would be recalled that the NRC which commenced operations between 1898 and 1901 with the construction of the first rail line from Lagos to Ibadan (193km) was rendering adequate services at inception but its management problems began after the indigenization Act of of 1976. However, it continued to play a major role in the movement of goods and passengers until it began to experience decline in rail and locomotive assets maintenance, before it went bankrupt in 1988 and all rail traffic stopped for six months.