SIFAX Group on Wednesday inaugurated a bonded terminal at Ijora Causeway in Lagos to address the problem of traffic congestion that hinders access to Apapa ports.
At the inauguration, SIFAX Group Managing Director, Chief Adekunle Oyinloye, said that the good road network around Ijora and its easier access to every part of Lagos had made the terminal ideal for faster and efficient cargo clearance.
He noted that another key advantage of the terminal was that it would be Information Technology-driven, adding that the company had decidedly invested in the technology so as to give quality service delivery to the clients.
According to him, the terminal, located along the Ebute-Meta Creek, holds a number of opportunities for shippers, agents and consignees, as their consignment can be transferred through barges from Apapa or TinCan ports to their facility without facing the challenge of traffic congestion.
“We are here today to commission the facility, which is our modest response to a major concern in the maritime industry of today — access to Lagos ports.
“From our humble beginning in 1988, SIFAX Group, which started as a modest clearing and forwarding firm, has transformed to a conglomerate with investments in various sectors of the economy.
“While priding ourselves as an integrated logistics solutions company, we have expanded the frontiers of our business to other critical industries in order to offer more solutions to a wider target market.
“From maritime to aviation, haulage and logistics, hospitality, financial services, oil and gas and many more, SIFAX Group is working relentlessly to fulfill its vision of becoming Africa’s global conglomerate that creates significant value for all economies,” Oyinloye said.
Also speaking, Mr Paul Vd Linden, Managing Director, SIFAX Container Terminal, said that the 15,000-square-meter space would boost Nigeria’s export market.
“The long queue that the country’s exports face, which also affects the state of the commodities due to traffic congestion, will not be experienced in this terminal,” he said.
He said that the terminal had a rich blend of both human capital and good equipment and facilities, which would make the movement of cargoes in and out of the terminal a pleasurable experience.
In his remark, the Customs Area Controller, Apapa Command, Mohammed Abba-Kura, said that the inauguration of the terminal was a good sign of private participation, adding that the Nigeria Customs Service was ever ready to assist SIFAX in whatever form.
He urged other terminals to make such investments across the coastline, so that Apapa residents could sleep well.
Ms Hadiza Bala-Usman, Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), said that the terminal was a contribution to national development and pledged the agency’s continued support for SIFAX to enhance growth.
Bala-Usman, represented by Mr Onari Brown, noted that the terminal would absorb the pressure at the Apapa main port, bring direct socio-economic benefits, reduce traffic and provide employment for the host community.
