19th March, 2018
Adekunle Dada
Traffic on Lagos roads is a normal daily occurrence and being held up in traffic is never out of place on the ever busy Lagos roads. But for trailer drivers who transit the famous Tin-Can and Apapa seaports to either pick up loaded containers or drop empty ones, the gridlock on that route offers much more than just a traffic experience.
The journey on the access roads towards the seaports greets you with an endless queue of articulated vehicles patiently waiting for weeks or even months for their turn as they struggle to negotiate the deplorable roads.
Living on the highways and flyovers without any facility to take care of their daily needs makes these trailer drivers do unimaginable things.
A visit to Berger under bridge down to Coconut end of Apapa-Oshodi Expressway shows that most empty containers have been turned into mobile bathrooms by the drivers.
A motor boy, who simply identified himself as Musibau said they bath in empty containers or in the open before break of dawn since they practically lived on the road.
He added that drivers and motor boys all have tooth brushes, toothpastes, toilet soaps and even detergent soaps to wash their clothes. According to him, four shirts and trousers are okay for a journey of two weeks.
He revealed that it took them five days to get to West Minister Bus-Stop from Mile 2 bridge and their destination is Tin-Can 2nd gate. The entire journey can take two weeks, he added.
Walking down the endless queue, it was observed that drainages and dumpsites were all messed up with human waste. Foul smells of urine and human waste assault the nostril and it was not a thing of shame to see the drivers defecate in the open.
”We toilet in the gutter or do it inside nylon bags and throw it into any dustbin around. Bros, we no get choice na. We are always on the move”
The drivers have turned the trailer seats and containers into beds to lay on every night. Some even create a net-like bed under the truck to sleep while others lay on the chasis of trucks that have no containers on them.
The thriving businesses along this corridor include local alcohol and beer joints where the drivers and motor boys go to cool off their stress. These joints are very conspicuous and they serve as relaxation spots to kill boredom.
For muslim trailer drivers, the road serves as a mosque to observe their five daily prayers. You see them spread their mats on the road to pray.
For residents of Wilmer Crescent in Olodi-Apapa, the traffic, human wastes and air pollution are serious health concerns.
A resident who sought anonymity said that his neighbour closed down her shop because the dangerous smoke from the exhaust pipes of the trucks was beginning to affect her and she couldn’t breath freely. This is in addition to the fact that she had to clean up human wastes in front of her shop almost everyday.