Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
The Lagos State Government has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to tanker drivers who have parked their vehicles 300 meters to fuel depots to leave Lagos, pending availability of fuel for loading.
The Lagos State Government issued the ultimatum following the unwholesome activities of tanker drivers who have converted major highways into parking lots for over 6,000 tankers waiting to load fuel in Lagos.
The development caused chaos on the Oshodi Apapa expressway, Liverpool and other areas. On Monday the development forced motorists including commercial motorbikes to drive against traffic with at least two operators of motorbikes killed in the process.
The incident worsened on Tuesday with the tankers spilling over to Costain West Africa, just by Nigerian Breweries, forcing most commuters to disembark and trek for hours to their offices.
The state government took the decision after an emergency meeting between the Lagos State Government, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Petroleum Tankers Drivers, PTD, NARTO and other unions in Ikeja, Lagos, South-west Nigeria.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa said all the stakeholders have agreed that 48 hours should be given to tanker drivers queuing between 200 and 300 meters to the fuel depots to leave Lagos pending availability of the commodity.
He said information available from the marketers revealed that there was no fuel in the depots to be lifted by the tankers now queuing up for them thus warranting the need for the tankers to vacate Lagos.
The commissioner also said no tanker should be seen on Eko Bridge down to Liverpool or from before Coconut on Apapa Expressway, adding that before tomorrow, the tanker owners must make one lane available for motorists to be plying pending the expiration of the ultimatum for enforcement to begin.
He said the enforcement would be done by the various unions in the axis with the support of the state government, police and Federal Road Safety Corps, adding that any tanker driver failed to comply would be fined and the vehicle confiscated until such fines had been paid.
The commissioner decried the untold hardship residents of Apapa and those working in the area were made to pass through on daily basis as a result of the blockage of the expressway by tanker drivers.
He appealed to NUPENG, PTD and NARTO to ensure that the agreement reached was not breached, saying that by Friday afternoon, government would move in to the axis to begin enforcement, but noted that persuasion would be used rather than towing of the tankers.
Opeifa added that the marketers and major operators in the area had agreed to come out with a programme and ticketing method that would allow only tanker meant to lift fuel at a particular point in time to come into Lagos.
He said with this development, traffic gridlock in Apapa, Ijora and neighbouring areas would ease. He appealed to residents of Apapa to exercise patients and that government would not hesitate to wield the big stick.
