Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
October 20, 2015 – Lagos State Government has appealed to the National Assembly to hasten hearing on the motion moved by the Senator representing Lagos Central District, Oluremi Tinubu, on the nerve-breaking gridlock in Apapa, which has made life unbearable for many.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, who stated this lauded the Senate for its approval to table the motion.
He expressed happiness that the development is heart-warming, saying it has shown that the state government’s effort at providing solution to the notorious traffic congestion in the axis has finally caught the attention of the Senate.
Ayorinde hailed Senator Tinubu for her bold step in moving the motion and galvanizing her colleagues to address the gridlock, expressing the hope that the Senate would give it priority attention when it is tabled in view of the socio-economic hardships it had continued to cause residents of the state.
He also expressed the belief that the intervention from the Senate would go a long way to also complement the various moves by the state government in finding lasting solution to the gridlock and lessen the hardship on the people.
The Commissioner explained that the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, had visited the area to have an on-the-spot assessment of the situation that has become the hallmark of Apapa and has given directives that would ease traffic in the area.
It would be recalled that the state Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode during his maiden Town Hall meeting declared that the traffic gridlock on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway has been a major challenge to traffic management in the State.
“As part of measures to find solution to the gridlock, the State Government has appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on the rehabilitation of the Tin Can Island Bridge, while on its part, has put in place a joint task force that operates round the clock to ensure that traffic situation improves along the axis.
“The government is also working on the plan to expand the capacity of the existing trailer Park at Orile to accommodate 1000 trucks from its current capacity of 350,” he said.
