A maritime stakeholder, Prince Aderemi Olikuntuyi has condemned the continuous collection of Wharf Landing Fees by the Apapa Local Government on roads leading to the port, saying that the money is not being utilized for the purpose it was meant for.
Wharf Landing Fees, ranging between N300 and N1,000, were imposed on cargoes exiting any of the ports in Lagos.
Olikuntuyi who spoke with newsmen in Apapa yesterday claimed to be the originator of the Wharf Landing Fee idea and had purportedly introduced it to the former Chairman of Apapa Local Government, Senator Muniru Muse, but argued that the collectors of the money have derailed from the original ITS concept.
According to him, the Lagos State Government should have used part of the proceeds from Wharf Landing Fees to fix the dilapidated portions of the access roads leading to the port where the money is being generated.
He however lamented that the money, which according to him has run into “trillions of naira”, is currently going into the pockets of very few corrupt individuals.
He claimed to have copied the Wharf Landing Fees concept from Gatwick Authorities in the United Kingdom where the magnitude of trailers coming to the area deprive the citizens of social life?.
He said, “If I told you that I brought Wharf Landing Fee you will not believe it. This is the idea I brought to Muse my friend and I told him that it will be broken into three parts, one for the local government, one for the state government and one for the association of freight forwarders. The money was supposed to be applied on the bad state of the roads as we are seeing it today.
“The wharf landing fee would also have been a succour for the communities that are closer to the port because the presence of the traffic to the port would have deprived them of so many things, including social life.
“Wharf landing fees would have been to help the communities but I modified it that, because of our own environment and system, I said that it should be broken into three so that the association of forwarders can also benefit but the money today is being pocketed by few people today and the government have derailed from the original plans?,”.
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