By Our Reporter
The Leader of the Presidential Taskforce on the clearing of Apapa Port and access roads, Comrade Kayode Opeifa has disclosed that the Taskforce have busted a cartel which has turned the deplorable traffic congestion at Apapa into a goldmine, extorting drivers and truck owners up to N65,000 and N120,000 everyday, to use the road and access the port.
Opeifa disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, just as the Presidential Taskforce deadline elapsed today.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on May 23, issued a 72 hours directive to all truck drivers to vacate Apapa ports and all access roads. He also established a Presidential taskforce, giving them a two weeks mandate to enforce the directive and clear up the port of traffic congestion.
Declaring the Apapa exercise as a huge success, Opeifa said the cartel, made up of touts, transport unions and security operatives are usually sabotaging government’s efforts to sanitize Apapa, adding that efforts flush them out and restore law and order in the area.
He also urged freight forwarders and truckers unions to direct their trucks and drivers to the approved private parks for call up to the port via Lillypond Truck Terminal.
This he said would further reduce the presence of these trucks on the roads and bridges. He added that the parks would serve as holding bay for these trailers and parks pending when they would be called up to the port.
He said: “The Task team have commenced the process of restoring law and order which had been greatly eroded beyond comprehension by various interests and enforcement agencies, transport unions, area boys and some military personnel, who have turned the 10 lane dual carriage road to a truck park, extortion field, ATM machine with trucks moving in all directions against traffic despite the deplorable condition of the road and flooding. Hitherto truckers pay as much as N65,000 to N120,000 and spend weeks to have access to the roads on the Tin Can Port axis comprising Apapa Oshodi Express way, Mile 2, Kirikiri and Ajegunle area.”
Opeifa also disclosed that beginning from today (Friday), work will begin on the palliative rehabilitation work on the inbound lane from Berger Suya and the entire Apapa network to pave way for complete palliative of major sections of the outbound lane.
He said though the palliative might cause some congestion, the team is on top of situation to restore law and order and ensure that it does not reverse the gains of decongestion of the team in Apapa.
He assured all the major manufacturing concerns in Apapa area of plans to consolidate on arrangements that provides them with unhindered access to their plants for deliveries and at specific periods.
Reporting on the Western Avenue axis, Opeifa said the clearing and removal of trucks and articulated vehicles from many of the affected Lagos Highways namely; Ikorodu Road, Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere environs, Eric Moore area, Iganmu area, Eko Bridge, Apongbon, Ijora up to Sifax and Lagos Waterworks end have been largely successful. While restoring orderliness on Marine Bridge and through to Port gate via Wharf road with manageable truck movement which we are working to remove in the next few days despite the non-availability of the Tin Can Port Gate Truck Park as directed in the Presidential directive.
Working with the NPA management, the team, Opeifa said, is working to perfect the use of Lillypond terminal to serve as holding bay for empty container return trucks and the focal point of the NPA Manual Call up system, despite its inadequacy to operate 24 hours due to non-availability of security and visibility lightings. We have also identified additional 33 Private Truck Parks expected to feed Lillypond as a way of keeping the trucks off the highways.
Opeifa said the team have achieved measurable success in ensuring that trucks and tankers vacate the port access roads, the withdrawal of the Nigerian Navy and other military formations to withdraw from traffic management duties in and around Apapa, the dismantling of military and paramilitary checkpoints in front of the port and environs, authorizing LASTMA to move into Apapa as the lead traffic management agency and a directive mandating NPA to use Lillypond terminal and trailer park A as a truck transit park.
He said the trucks have not been able to totally disappear on the highway due to the capacity and efficiency of Apapa port to handle empty container return and other deliveries with right of way to the Port
“We have maintained a steady flow with ongoing plans to partner with a private truck parks to serve as a temporary holding bay for flat beds to ensure reduction of truck presence on the bridge bearing cooperation from all stakeholders,” Opeifa further stated.