Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
June 25, 2015 – Lagos State Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode today warned drivers of articulated trucks to desist from parking indiscriminately on Apapa road, stressing that his administration will no longer tolerate such an unwholesome behaviour.
Ambode who was speaking to reporters after inspecting major roads in the Apapa, Lekki, Ajah axis said he will immediately set up a task force to clamp down on erring truck drivers. He noted that traffic congestion in Apapa which has forced many business to shutdown operation in the area was aggravated by combination of factors which he said were humanly induced.
He said his men will immediately move into the area to fix bad portion of the road as immediate palliatives for residents.
He however promised to summon a stake holders meeting to find lasting solution to the problem.
“What we have done in the last three hours is trying to find out what is responsible for the traffic gridlock. We have all seen that the gridlock in Apapa is multifaceted. We have examined things that relate to activities of trailer drivers and tanker drivers. It is totally unacceptable that we would be having tankers and trailers on our bridges.
“It is also not acceptable that they would decide to block all lanes that lead to Apapa. We have also seen that we must do something immediately to alleviate the challenges that the residents and business men are facing. But again, you will also realise that the roads that lead to Apapa Wharf and Tincan Island actually belong to the Federal Government.
“We have come to this Bridge(Tin Can), it has been under construction in the last six years, we have also seen a trailer park that can actually contain about 500 trailers at a time that has been abandoned by the Federal Government.
“What we want to do now is firstly to appeal to the Federal Government and most especially Mr. President that the contractor construction this particular bridge should come back to site and once we are able to open the trailer park, we would be able to allow other trailer and tankers to use the park,” Ambode said.
He pointed out that about 57 tank farms around Apapa axis also pose serious challenge.
“That’s a major security challenge for the state government. We have to start to look at the security issues relating to these tank farms. All trailers across the country come to these tank farms. We are going to direct them in the next few days, they would be summoned to a meeting and they have to tell us their remedy to this menace that we are having in Apapa.
“On our part, the immediate palliative is that we would set up a task force that would involve most of our security agencies including the police and we would do a 24/7 monitor of the traffic. We would pay more attention to enforcement.
” From this evening you would see that there would be more attention on enforcement and we would also fund that enforcement. We are going to give incentives to our law enforcement officers to ensure that the Traffic Law is obeyed.”
He implored the Federal Government to ensure that the contractor handling Apapa road to return to site. In his remarks, Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Mr. Kayode Aderanti said concern of the Police is the nexus between infrastructural development and the rate of crime in the area.
” What we have observed in the last one year, due to the road network, the resultant effect is that most of these trailers always collapse and when this happens, you see a lot of hoodlums coming around to steal most of the items that is meant to be shipped to different parts of the country.
“So we are of the view that by the time we have very good infrastructural development in Apapa area, there will be free flow of traffic, less criminality for hoodlums to take advantage of, then it’s going to be good partnership between the police and the state government and enable us to reduce all forms of criminality around this axis. It would boost the economy of Lagos State.
Commander, NNS Beecroft, Apapa Naval Base, Commodore Daniel Ikoli said the navy will support the Lagos State Government to bring about free flow of traffic in Apapa.
