SIFAX boss hinges haulage industry growth on merger, enforcement of standards 

The general manager, SIFAX Haulage & Logistics Limited, Saheed Lasisi, has said that merger and strict enforcement of standards are the two key factors that would aid the development of the country’s haulage industry.

Lasisi, who says that Nigeria’s haulage industry is emerging, noted that there is need for regulators and other stakeholders to take issue of standards very seriously so as to grow the industry by attracting investors.

He said: “The Nigerian haulage industry is still at the evolving stage. This is due primarily to the fact that the right set of people is not involved in the business yet. Also, the right kind of equipment is not being used because 90 percent of haulage operators in Nigeria still use old and refurbished trucks. No wonder, we see accidents involving trucks on our roads almost every day.”

While reviewing the performance of his company in 2015 financial year, Lasisi noted that the slow start of the country’s business landscape early in the year had a slight effect on its operations, but added that despite this, the company still met all its expectations. He noted that the acquisition of 25 brand new trucks contributed greatly to the impressive performance of the company.

The Sifax boss further stated that the company has almost finalised plans to acquire additional 25 brand new trucks due to the increase in its clientele list, especially the latest, APMT, with which it just signed a partnership agreement for the delivery of about 600 containers to its inland container depot in Kano from Lagos every month.

On SIFAX Haulage plan for 2016, Lasisi said:  “One of our major targets for the next financial year is to get a permanent place for the company. Our plan is to acquire a large expanse of land that would accommodate all our trucks, because in the next one year, we are planning to increase our trucks to one hundred so as to service our clients better. The new place will have all the required facilities including parking bay and maintenance workshop.”

SIFAX Haulage & Logistics Limited is a subsidiary of SIFAX Group, a multinational corporation with investment in Aviation, Maritime, Oil & Gas, Haulage & Logistics, Hospitality, among others.

AMAKA ANAGOR-EWUZIE