The multi-million dollar Lekki Deep Seaport, Lagos, recently inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari, will boost trade in the West African sub-region, OLUWAKEMI DAUDA reports.
This is a moment of joy for the promoters of the multimillion dollar Lekki Deep Seaport that was inaugurated in Lagos, last Monday by President Muhammadu Buhari. This is because after 45 months, their dream has become a reality.
Addressing reporters during the event at the Lagos Free Zone, Ibeju Lekki, the Managing Director, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited (LPLEL), promoters of the Lekki Deep Seaport, Mr. Du Ruogang, noted this fact.
He, however, affirmed that their joy will be greater in future as the port is planned to boost trade in Nigeria and increase its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The facility, a world-class, is expected to generate to contribute more than $200billion to the government’s purse and create about 170,000 new jobs.
The project, findings show, is the first of its kind in the country. It is the single largest private investment in infrastructure in Nigeria developed on a non-recourse finance basis with the majority of the funds raised internationally.
Spread over 90 hectares of land in the heart of the Free Trade Zone, Lekki Port is situated 65 km east of Lagos.
The western boundary of the site lies east of Magbon Segun Village while the eastern margin lies west of Itoke Village. The Atlantic Ocean forms the southern boundary of the site and is bound on the North by the Old Ibeju-Lekki Road between Eleko and Akodo.
The major roads and highways around the port include Old Ibeju-Lekki Road, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Ikorodu Road, Ikorodu-Itoikin-Ijebu-Ode Road, Itoikin-Epe Road, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and Sagamu-Benin Expressway.
In addition to this network, many new key road and bridge projects and expansion of existing highways are under construction to connect Lekki Port to the hinterlands.
The development of the port was conceptualised to bridge the huge gap in projected demand and capacity.
The strategic location, flexible and optimised layout and modern facilities, it was gathered, give the port an edge over any other in the West African region
Tinubu initiated the project as Governor
The Lekki Deep Seaport, according to the Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperative, Dr Lola Akande, was initiated by the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, when he was the governor, to boost the economy of the state and the country.
Lekki Port remains a game-changer
Ruogang noted that the Lekki Port remains a game-changer that would redefine maritime in Nigeria and the West African sub-region and it is scheduled to commence operations by the end of first quarter of the year.
He highlighted other benefits to include improvement of external trade competitiveness through improved port efficiency, cost-effective port operations and services, and improved turnaround time for cargo handling and clearance, a reduction in delays in the supply of raw materials and equipment, as well as reduced costs of importations and charges such as demurrage.
“With Lekki Port, Nigeria will witness a growth in maritime traffic and global trade and strengthen connectivity and capability to provide efficient and reliable services. Lekki Port, no doubt, will be a critical engine that will drive the Nigerian economy upon commencement of operations.
Port has state-of-the-art infrastructure
The Chief Executive Officer, Lekki Freeport Terminal, operated by CMA Terminals, a subsidiary of the CMA CGM Group, Mr. Denrick Moos, highlighted that, in addition to its state-of-the-art infrastructure, the Lekki Port will become a new generation container terminal, a game-changer in Nigeria and West Africa.
The port, which is Nigeria’s first deep seaport, is equipped with 13 quay cranes for a capacity of 2.5 million TEUs (20-Foot Equivalent Units) on a 1.2 kilometre quay with a depth of 16 metres, it will operate vessels with a capacity of about 15,000 TEUs and become one of the largest in West Africa.
Through the new container terminal at Lekki Port, the CMA CGM Group will further develop its presence in Nigeria, the continent’s largest economy and population, and the most important consumer market in West Africa and will consolidate its African global shipping and logistics network.
What Sanwo-Olu said
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the project is a big testament to the commitment of the state government to support the provision of infrastructure that would improve the fortunes of Lagosians by providing jobs for the people and impacting their lives positively. Sanwo-Olu described the launch of the seaport as an achievement for the government as well as the private sector, saying the project was started and completed during the Buhari administration.
Sanwo-Olu added that the size of vessels that would berth at the port could be up to four times those that berth at the Tin Can and Apapa ports.
He said: “The project is a total combination of efforts of the Federal Government, Lagos State and the private sector, and we are happy that this is happening in your time. It all started within your time and it has been completed within your time. The size of vessels that will be coming here could be up to four times the size of vessels that berth at Tin Can and Apapa Ports. So, it is a massive infrastructure and we are excited that something fresh has been impacted into this country, and it is going to generate thousands of jobs directly and indirectly in the entire ecosystem. This is your own project and we are excited.”
The governor noted that the construction of the port was completed in record time, despite the slowdown in the pace of work caused by the coronavirus pandemic. He said speed and consistency of construction testified to the determination of the partners to deliver project.
He added: “The last seaport construction in Lagos took place in the late 1970s, when Tin Can Island Port was built to relieve Apapa Port. Now, with the support of President Buhari, federal authorities and the investment of the private sector, we are home to the newest seaport in the world, and the first Deep seaport in Nigeria. The economy of Lagos and Nigeria will be massively transformed by this investment, with enormous benefits in terms of direct and indirect jobs creation in their thousands, tens of billions of dollars in government revenue, reduced shipping and logistics costs, trade facilitation, and many other benefits.”
Vision conceptualised decades ago
According to the state government, the vision conceptualised decades ago by Lagos State Government has been nurtured to reality, with the construction and completion of a new Deep seaport in the Lagos Free Trade Zone (FTZ), Ibeju Lekki, by the state government, in collaboration with Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and a group of private investors.
The development underscores another triumph of Public-Private Partnership (PPP), a possibility the state government started exploring for infrastructure delivery since early 2000s. The transportation infrastructure would give a major boost to the economy, by expanding the maritime capacity and paving way for the decongestion efforts at the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.
The Lekki Deep Seaport, constructed by China Habour Engineering firm, sits on 90 hectares in the 830 hectares carved out for the Free Trade Zone, created in 2012 to enhance economic position of Lagos as manufacturing and logistics hub in West Africa. The seaport is designed with three container berths of 1,200-metre long and 16.5-metre water depth. It is built with the capacity to be berthed by fifth generation container ships, and has capacity to handle 1.2 million standard containers. It has expanding storage for six million, 20-Foot Equivalent Unit (TEU) of containers yearly.
NPA: Lekki Deep Seaport a model
The Managing Director, NPA, Mohammad Bello-Koko, agreed that the new port would generate employment, adding that NPA would provide services to it to ensure its efficiency.
“This will be a model for other deep seaports in Nigeria and I say congratulations to the investors and the project delivery team, the Lekki Port management team for a job well done,” he said.
Bello-Koko also appreciated Buhari for his support to the project.
“Recall that the port has been in the drawing board for over 10 years; four years ago when we came here it was just a sand-filled area. Today, we are talking about the inauguration and we thank the president for the approval given to make this happen,” Bello-Koko said
The NPA chief noted that the Lekki Deep Port is the beginning of greater things to come in the sector.
He said the NPA as the regulator would be responsible for providing marine services and others needed to ensure seamless service delivery to customers at the port.
Port completed in a record 45 months
The port was completed in a record time of 45 months exited the Minister of Transportation, Muazu Jaji Sambo. He said this indicated the effectiveness and tenacity of ministerial supervision, strict regulatory oversight and strong presidential backing.
Port’ll enhance agro-allied products’ competitiveness
Sambo added that the distinctive features of the Lekki Deep Seaport, such as automation of operations that enable quick cargo and vessel turnaround, would enhance the competitiveness of our exports, especially agro-allied products in the international marketplace, while positioning the country to maximise opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement.
Sanwo-Olu gets encomium
The Managing Director, Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority, Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, hailed Sanwo-Olu for bringing a deep seaport to Lagos, saying the governor had been a champion of the Free Zone scheme.
“This maritime project will boost the economy of Nigeria with hundreds of billions of U.S. Dollars revenue to state and federal agencies through taxes, duties and royalties, regardless of the tax incentives being enjoyed as a free zone, thereby boosting the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This seaport, which will be managed by CMA Terminals, will open Nigeria up to more local and international businesses,” Adesugba added.
Dabiri expresses gratitude to Buhari
On his part, the chairman of Lekki Port, Mr. Biodun Dabiri, expressed gratitude to the president and his team for backing the project. He stressed that the management of the port was working to get the port on stream soon.
“We owe a great deal of this success to the visionary leadership of President Buhari, who provided the much-needed support to make the project a reality. We are immensely grateful to President Buhari, Governor Sanwo-Olu, and other stakeholders for their role in actualisating the port. For us, we would continue to be a willing partner in the quest to achieve significant economic growth by investing in Nigeria,” Dabiri said.
