11th February, 2021
The Lagos State newly constituted Traffic Management Enforcement Team to resolve traffic gridlocks in Apapa, and the Nigerian Port Authority Security Team have made their first inspection to Apapa to devise strategy to solve the gridlock issue occasioned by loading trucks and trailers at the port, which have extended to major parts of Lagos.
The Special Team which is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring zero tolerance of traffic offenders and seamless traffic management system, are to also ensure restoration of sanity in and around Apapa in order to create a cohesive system that would aid the resurgence of business activities and a conducive residential environment devoid of traffic-induced stress.
Briefing the Press on the activities of the Team in the last Two weeks on inspection to Apapa, The Chairman of the Team, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Oluwatoyin Fayinka explained that the Team has been able to design a road map and the strategy to be adopted.
Fayinka Stated, ‘presently we are in discussion with the various Stakeholders; the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Shippers Council of Nigeria, Terminal Operators and Association of Trucks Union on the best way to do business around Apapa Ports without breakdown of law and order’
The Team Chairman further mentioned that part of the discussions held with the Truck Owners Association operating around Apapa was that each company should acquire Park Terminals for their fleets of trucks to serve as holding bay pending when they will be called up for loading, adding that NPA is already ramping up the Call Up System that will ensure that trucks that are not yet called for loading do not hang around the ports constituting obstructions to traffic.
Fayinka also assured that Seven Parks have been identified for the purpose of holding bay for trucks at various locations around the metropolis, they are at; Ojota, Obanikoro, Oregun, Olowotedo-Ibafo, Amuwo-Odofin, Orile-Iganmu, Okorisan-Lekki/Epe. These parks he said will keep trucks away from the roads until they are called up for loading.
Expressing his displeasure at the situation of the port with its attendant traffic gridlock which has paralyzed so many businesses around the Apapa corridor with extension to other parts of the state, Fayinka affirmed that the Nigerian Port Authority’s Call Up System will help greatly in reducing traffic gridlock around Apapa.
While full enforcement will commence soon after due consultation with all Stakeholders, Fayinka stressed that the bridges around the Apapa corridor which have been turned to parking lots for trucks were not designed to carry the weight of the trailers for a long period of time, adding that the heavy-duty trucks being parked along the bridge leading into the ports will damage the bridge over time and cause a collapse which would be catastrophic to the state and its residents.
Speaking in the affirmative, a member of the Traffic Management Enforcement Team, Honourable Shola Giwa stated that the Governor having charged the Team with the responsibility of getting rid of stationary vehicles on the bridges and roads within a short period of time, will only achieve its aim with the cooperation of NPA as the pivotal piece in the situation.
Hon. Giwa asked the NPA to make the Call-up System accessible to the Chairman of the Team to enable effective enforcement of the new directives for articulated trucks and tankers, adding that it will also provide a synergy that will bring a lasting finality to the gridlock situation in Apapa.
The General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Engr. Oduyoye who is also a member of the Team, charged the Nigerian Port Authority to turn away trucks and tankers that are not road worthy and allow the traffic laws of the State-run its course on deviant companies by embracing transparency in solving the gridlock problem at the port.
Oduyoye also pitched that a rescue system by the NPA be put in place in the interim to secure the immediate evacuation from the roads and prevent extortion from the Law Enforcement Agencies stressing that the bad state of the trucks and trailers cause them to break down on key road networks which degenerate to gridlock and cause great inconveniences for motorists.
In response to the expressed concerns and issues surrounding NPA, the General Manager, Security, Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Jamil Khalil assured the Agency’s unrelenting support in freeing up Apapa from traffic congestion, adding that the NPA will work together with the State Government to proffer both short and long term solutions to the problem.
At the close of the briefing, The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Mr. Kamar Olowoshago, stated that the Smart City vision could only be actualized if all Stakeholders retrace their steps by taking responsibility for the damages done on Apapa and channel efforts and commitment to tackling the gridlock problems immediately.