Lagos Faults NPA Policy Failures as Ports Authority Shifts Focus to Warri

Lagos Faults NPA Policy Failures as Ports Authority Shifts Focus to Warri

The Lagos State Government has pushed back against the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) strategic shift of operational attention from the bustling Lagos ports to the Warri Port Complex, describing the move as a diversion from the Authority’s long-standing policy failures.

The NPA recently announced early gains recorded at the rejuvenated Warri and Koko ports, citing improved efficiency and increasing cargo traffic as part of its efforts to decongest the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports. But Lagos officials insist the congestion problem is rooted not in the state’s infrastructure, but in deep-seated administrative issues within the NPA itself.

Adekoya Hassan, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Transportation and Logistics, said the shift to Warri reflects “a refusal to confront internal problems” that have crippled operations in Lagos for years.

According to him, Governor Sanwo-Olu has invested extensively in access roads, traffic control, and stakeholder engagement, yet entrenched practices within the NPA continue to fuel gridlock around the Apapa corridor.

“The NPA’s decision to divert attention to Warri highlights the need for a complete policy overhaul,” Hassan told Vanguard. “The Governor has consistently supported long-term solutions, but institutional resistance and outdated practices within the Authority keep undermining progress.”

He listed excessive toll points, a dysfunctional e-call-up system, racketeering, preferential treatment for certain operators, and misinformation spread through truck unions as key factors worsening the congestion crisis.

Hassan argued that modernising the NPA’s operational framework to reflect present-day economic realities would significantly ease Apapa congestion and render the shift to Warri unnecessary — a move he described as “an unpopular choice driven by internal inefficiencies.”

He further stressed the importance of presenting President Bola Tinubu with accurate information, noting that Lagos should not bear the blame for port congestion when the underlying issues lie within national port management structures.

As debate deepens over port decentralization, Lagos insists that sustainable solutions must begin with reforming the NPA’s operational model, rather than relocating port pressure to other regions.