Oshodi-Apapa: Lagos, truckers, stakeholders meet as gridlock worsens

As the gridlock on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway worsened, yesterday, the Lagos State government, representatives of transporter unions, truckers and port operators, yesterday, vowed to implement a new order to ensure the free flow of traffic on the axis and port access roads.

The Lagos State government, however, mandated all truckers to make use of the Ahmed Bola Tinubu Trailer Park at Orile-Iganmu and three other identified parks, apart from various private holding-bays and leave based on call-up systems that should be resuscitated after being abandoned at Mile-2 axis of Apapa.

The other truck parks made available to truckers are Bellington and Daven Parks among privately operated holding bays around Apapa.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi; Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa and Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Abdulafiz Toriola, led the government delegation at the stakeholders’ meeting, which included Leaders of National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN.

Others are Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO; Lagos State Transport Management Authority, LASTMA; Major Oil Marketer Association of Nigeria, MOMAN; Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPMAN; Nigeria Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, among others, held in Alausa, Ikeja.

8-man implementation committee

At the end of the meeting, which lasted two hours, an eight-man implementation committee was created to ensure strict enforcement and monitoring of the new order and agreement reached.

This followed the directive by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to convene the stakeholders’ meeting with the mandate to agree and find a permanent solution to the Apapa gridlock, particularly at the Mile-2 axis.

NUPENG leaders absent

Leaders of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, were, however, absent after taking an excuse to attend a crucial simultaneous meeting in Abuja.

The Lagos State government had earlier reconstituted the Joint Security Task Force to tackle Apapa gridlock and other security threats within the axis brought about by the blockade of major roads in the area by tankers and containerized trucks.

Worsening traffic

The Apapa gridlock, in the past few weeks, had worsened due to the breakdown of the earlier call-up system and operations at the seaports.

Yesterday, the chaotic traffic situation on the aixs worsened as truck drivers took over the lanes and prevented other road users from accessing the road.

Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Sola Giwa, in a chat with Vanguard exptressed concern over the resurgence of gridlock in the axis despite Governor Sanwo-Olu’s directive to vacate the axis last weekend.

Giwa said the state government was worried about the development in Mile-2, Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and would not hesitate to wield the big stick if the unions refuse to let peace reign and comply with the laws of the state.

“Enough is enough, the state government will not tolerate needless lawlessness in the state,” he said.

Sanity on road

To ensure sanity on the expressway, the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, warned that “Enough is enough,” adding that recklessness and indiscipline around the Apapa axis will no longer be tolerated.

Speaking after the stakeholders’ meeting, Osiyemi said: “The present administration, led by Governor Sanwo-Olu, is passionate and determined to make life more meaningful, devoid of stress for Lagosians and visitors. We need to embrace this new order and project.

“There must be a willingness from all sides because the government doesn’t want to engage in force. What we are trying to achieve is for the good of the general public for a long-term effect and not a temporary measure.

“Commerce must be restored in this area without further hindrances. We are appealing to you the stakeholders to key into this new order of orderliness and discipline.

“There is the need for a paradigm shift in the way of doing business in and around Apapa. It’s not about fighting but about cooperation.

“We are setting up an eight-man committee to ensure implementation, enforcement, compliance and monitoring of the new order immediately.

“We (government) have made available the ABAT Trailer Park and others as parking lots for truckers pending when they will be called for loading at their various ports and tank farms.

“Any operator found to violate this new arrangement and agreement would be dealt with accordingly.

“There are two components of this agreement. The use of truck parks, load-bay and the use of a call-up system to ensure orderliness on the road. It is no longer business as usual. Enough is enough. This is a final warning to operators.”

Task force to go after defaulters-Government

Also speaking, Giwa reiterated the need to comply with the new order, saying: “There are lots of truckers who do not have business on the road. We have given our directive to get this addressed with immediate effect. There is no timeline to get the gridlock off. The time is now.

“We are sending out task force after them henceforth and it’s going to be a total showdown with defaulters henceforth.

“There are over 75 per cent of wet cargoes taking off products from Lagos to other regions, this is necessary but there must be decorum henceforth. And we have to do it together.

“We are working to get some of the bad roads fixed soon. We are just waiting for clement weather to be in place as the rainy season is almost off, which had been delaying rehabilitation work.”

Stakeholders pledge compliance

Earlier, some of the representatives of stakeholders, expressed appreciation for convening the meeting, pledging readiness to comply with the new order and agreement.

The Operations Manager of MOMAN, Moses Okoh, expressed gladness to be part of the crucial meeting.

While expressing the readiness of the association to comply with the directive, Okoh demanded to know the modalities of using the truck parks and whether the call-up system would work this time.

“We pray we will have a good working relationship together this time. We believe in collaboration and we are ready to go. We believe the road can be sanitised,” he stated.

Also, Prince Adeyinka Oyediran, who represented NARTO, urged the state government to ensure enforcement and monitoring of the new order, if permanent sanity must be restored.

On his part, Chairman of the NURTW, Mile-2 Garage, simply identified as Prince Abayomi, popularly called “Iko Modino,” promised to ensure free flow of traffic on the way forward, later lewd members of his union in Mile-2 axis to clean up the axis, creating access road to other motorists to ply.

He said: “We will sustain this and ensure sanity henceforth around this area because we are losing a lot of man-hours and money to gridlock. So, we are happy about this new order. We are ready to work with Sanwo-Olu on this.”