July 26, 2023

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State says with necessary arrangement in place, the planned Badagry Port might be ready by 2025.

Sanwo-Olu said this on Tuesday, when the Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adeniyi, paid him a courtesy visit at the Lagos House, Marina.

He restated his administration’s commitment to construct a new port in the Badagry axis of the state, to decongest Apapa and Tincan Island ports, hence, bringing in more investors into the state.

The governor said that the state government was already in touch with a contractor for the construction of the Badagry Port.

“The whole idea is to build strategic infrastructure for our citizens. Lekki is on the Eastern part and Badagry on the Western part, so that we can decongest Apapa and Tincan, which we have stretched beyond their capacities.

“We need to think forward and I am happy that investors are putting the funding together and all the approvals are being sorted so that in two years, we might also have a brand new port.

“These are some of the things that will ensure that things can move in and out and we can begin to compete with some of the nice ports we see around the world, so that we can improve the revenue earning of government and be able to do any other things,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said that the government would continue to partner with the Nigeria Customs Service to ensure turnaround of the ports in the state.

He said that ensuring the turnaround of the ports would make them to be globally competitive and make Lagos State a top destination for West African countries.

According to him, his administration is committed to making Lagos a business destination for as many investors as possible, so as to improve the economic prosperity of the state.

“I want to assure you that Lagos and Lagosians will continue to give you hospitality; a place of comfort and a willing environment where business can thrive, where officers can do their work without fear or favour, and where service can be rendered to our citizens, your customers, and the international community at large.

“We will continue to work together, and because of where we are as a country and the need to increase our export, foreign currency and ensure that we are not a mono-product country that relies only on oil, we will encourage our manufacturers to export, so that they can drive more foreign direct investment and foreign currency that can help to improve our currency,” he said.

Speaking earlier, Adeniyi commended the Sanwo-Olu-led administration, adding that Lagos, as the economic nerve centre of Nigeria, generated 70 to 75 per cent of Customs revenue in the country.

Adeniyi pledged to work assiduously to ensure smuggling became a thing of the past in Nigeria, so as to boost Made in Nigeria products and improve the economy of the country.

According to him, Lagos is very strategic, as it is the heartbeat of Customs’ operations.

For us to be able to excel at our full potential, we need a peaceful working environment.

“I want to assure the governor that as responsible officers and agencies of government, we will live up to our civic responsibilities, and more importantly, we will operate within the framework of the law.

“We will be law abiding in our operations. We have followed your (Gov. Sanwo-Olu) serious attempt to make Lagos a Smart City and a good working place for all Lagosians, some of us inclusive.

“We followed the progress you have made. The least we can do as a responsible agency of government is to complement your efforts in terms of sustainable development,” he said. (NAN)