Nigerian Railway, APM Terminals strike deals on cargo movement

L-R: Director of Operations of NRC, Mr. Akin Osinowo; APM Terminals Country Manager, Mr. Frederik Klinke; Dr. Kayode Opeifa, NRC Managing Director; and Chief Commercial Officer of APM Terminals, Mrs. Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) and APM Terminals Apapa have finalized an agreement to transport cargo from Apapa Port to the NRC Freight Yard in Moniya, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

The agreement was reached following a high-level meeting between NRC’s Managing Director, Dr. Kayode Opeifa; Country Manager Mr. Frederik Klinke, and a delegation from APM Terminals Nigeria, led by Country Manager Mr. Frederik Klinke and Chief Commercial Officer Mrs. Caroline Aubert-Adewuyi.

This initiative aims to improve cargo logistics, ease port congestion, and boost trade efficiency by leveraging the rail network for seamless freight movement between Lagos and Ibadan.

Klinke reiterated APMT’s position as the foremost transporter of container freight in the country and a major partner to the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

He highlighted the strategic advantage Nigeria held, being surrounded by a number of landlocked neighbouring countries, creating an opportunity to serve as a hub for the importation of containerised goods.

APMT assured NRC of greater efficiency in turnaround of cargo at the port and expansion of the use of rail for cargo evacuation and export through APM Terminals.

The NRC Managing Director expressed appreciation for APM Terminal’s close partnership with the Corporation, which goes back decades.

He stated that the collaboration is going to be of tremendous benefit for both parties, as “we are going to work for the satisfaction of not only the APMT but all customers who intend to do business with Railways.”

Opeifa said, like he iterated in his maiden speech at the assumption of office, “prioritising customers’ satisfaction by improving customer experience and ensuring that our services are reliable, efficient, safe and sustainable” remains cardinal to him.

He added that all key stakeholders, including the media, will be deployed extensively to encourage people towards greater use of the rail system.

This will invariably translate into drastically reducing the cost of goods and services; it will also increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by providing food security, which is in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.