Dangote Speaks :-Nigeria loses N140bn weekly to Apapa gridlock –

The President, Dangote Group , Aliko Dangote, has lauded the decision of the Federal Government to reconstruct the failed Apapa Wharf Road as its grim state serves as both an embarrassment to the country and a huge loss of close to N 140 bn on a weekly basis.
Dangote, who spoke to journalists on Tuesday, said , “ The economy loses more than N 20 bn daily. It ( bad state of the roads ) affects businesses across the country . All our operations in the hinterland in Ilorin , in Kano are operating at 40 per cent maximum capacity. ”
Lamenting the state of roads in the country , Dangote said , “ Today , there is no linkage road going from the South-West to the North. You have to go all the way through Ajaokuta , Obajana, Lokoja and you have to go by that uncompleted road that Obasanjo started 13 years ago .
Commenting on his resolve to personally get involved in the Apapa Wharf Road reconstruction , he said , “ Because it is very embarrassing! We can’ t just sit and have a road like that , which it is the heart of trade in the country . More than 60 per cent of our country ’ s imports and exports come through the Apapa Port and we leave the road unattended to .
“That is why we started on our own . Flour Mills said they will join us , but now the government has changed the design because they want all the cables and pipes underground and to have a more robust solution .”
To help in bringing the cost down , he explained that he forced his company to execute the project at a zero profit .
“Both Dangote and Flour Mills are pumping in over N 2 .5 bn for the two-kilometre double lane on each side , making a total of four kilometres, ” Dangote explained , adding that the biggest job “ is drainage because that is what is destroying the road. We will make sure this problem is sorted out once and for all.”