Lekki Port will Revolutionise Nigeria’s Maritime Industry’

Gilbert Ekugbe

Promoter of the Lekki Deep Sea Port, Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise has stated that the Lekki Port will revolutionise maritime activities in Nigeria, noting that with the commissioning of the port recently by President Muhammadu Buhari, the port would facilitate trade volume growth and increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

The Managing Director of Lekki Port LFTZ Enterprise Limited (LPLEL), Mr. Du Ruogang, on the sidelines of the commissioning of the port said noted that Lekki Port remains a game-changer that would redefine maritime activities in Nigeria and the entire West African sub-region as its full operations scheduled to commence by the end of Q1 2023.

He highlighted other benefits to include; improvement of external trade competitiveness through improved port efficiency, cost-effective port operations & 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, among others. 

“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, “he said.

The CEO of 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, Lekki Port will become a new generation container terminal, a game changing infrastructure in Nigeria and West Africa, saying that the Port is Nigeria’s first deep sea port and is equipped with 13 quay cranes for a capacity of 2.5 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) on a 1.2 kilometre quay with a depth of 16 meters and expected to operate vessels with a capacity of up to 15,000 TEUs and become one of the largest in West Africa.

Speaking at the event, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, noted that the project is a big testament to the commitment of the Lagos State Government to support the provision of necessary infrastructure that would improve the economic fortunes of Lagosians by providing thousands of jobs for the people and impacting their lives positively.

On his part, the Chairman of Lekki Port, Mr. Biodun Dabiri, expressed profound gratitude to the President and his team for giving all the necessary backing that ensured the project came to fruition. He stressed that the Management of the Port is working round-the-clock to get the port operational 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 all other stakeholders for their role in the actualization of 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.