COVID-19: Group Canvasses For Total Lockdown Of Nigerian Seaports
By Mcanthony Onuoha
LAGOS MARCH 31ST (NEWSRANGERS)-Following the exemption of the Nation”s Seaports from the lockdown order by President Muhammadu Buhari, to curb the spread of Covid-19 which has been ravaging countries of the world, a Maritime advocacy group, Maritime Integrity Initiative (MII) has asked for total shutdown of seaports saying that it was of utmost importance at a time like this.
In a statement issued by the group’s PRO, Comrade Obinna Obidile, on Monday, the 30th of March, 2020, he said, “since the banks and Shipping Companies are not open for full scale Services, and people, including transporters, having also been asked to stay at home, it now makes it very difficult for freight forwarders to operate, and since the fear of spreading the virus through body contacts is there, why not enforce total shutdown for now?”
“Not shutting down the seaports at this very time does not in anyway help the situation, it means that the government obviously prioritize revenue generation above the lives of our citizens, this pandemic is ravaging almost all the nations of the world, and a lot of commitments have been shown by individual countries to curb the spread, so it will be foolhardy to keep the seaports open at this time”.
Furthermore, the PRO, pointed out that, “since it had become necessary for total lockdown, why then were Officers and Men of the Nigeria Customs instructed to remain at their duty posts”, he lamented that if it continues this way, all the efforts put in so far in curbing the spread of Covid-19 would amount to efforts in futility because total lockdown was yet to be fully implemented.
“If we evaluate the situation right now, you will find out that some freight forwarders who live outside Lagos will find it very difficult to find their ways to the ports in Apapa to take delivery of their consignments, because of the lockdown as some of them live in Ogun State, some live in Badagry while some live in lkorodu and so on. So, we as a group, are vehemently demanding for total shutdown of the seaports to save the country from further spread of the epidemic”. Obidile concluded.
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Posted by News Rangers
on Mar 31 2020. Filed under Business, Health, National.
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