By Our Correspondent
Residents of Apapa and the Presidential Task Team on the decongestion of Apapa Gridlock on Tuesday advocated for the sustainability of the gains of the restoration of law and order and decongestion of the Apapa Ports and all its access roads and bridges.
The agreement was reached at the town hall meeting organised by the Task Team, led by the Vice Chairman Comrade Kayode Opeifa, at the St Andrew’s Anglican Church Hall, Marine Road, Apapa.
Their remarks came on the heels of the reports by the Team’s Vice Chairman Comrade Opeifa, of its activities at Apapa over the past 60 days.
He said the meeting was aimed at allaying the fears of residents and to generate more ideas towards achieving the sustainability of free flow traffic at Apapa as well as to enable them take ownership of the space.
Opeifa who declared that the team has achieved all of its mandates admitted that achieving a seamless flow of traffic in Apapa is an ongoing project, adding that the government would continue to work on all details that would ensure that trucks are not unduly delayed to the point that they would constitute a nuisance on the road as they hitherto used to.
He said: “Now we have been able to ensure that no trucks stay on the roads anywhere in Apapa, we have busted the issue of extortion which was a bye product of the demurrage system that was hitherto in operation which the Nigerian Shippers Council and the Ship owners are already working on with Terminal operators. The NSC has been able to negotiate a slash in the demurrage and we believe once this is put into operation, it would reduce the pressure to get into Apapa and the number of trucks would drastically reduce. This would be complemented by a call up system that is more proactive and an electronic call up system will further clean the system.”
Opeifa who observed that it is impossible to shut down Apapa or stop trucks from moving goods in and out of the ports, said what needed to be done is to ensure that the ports activities does not in any way negatively impact on the lives of residents adding that that was what the federal Government is desirous of doing.
“The Apapa Port is the nation’s third largest revenue earner and any attempt to shut it down would hamper the nation’s economy. So we cannot shut it down. We also cannot ask the trucks to stop coming into Apapa because they are in business that impacts our daily living. But we would continue to explore all ways to ensure that we manage their activity. That we will continue to do,” Opeifa said.
He informed that the Team is a product of series of meetings with all stakeholders and especially with members of the Presidential Committee on the Ease of Doing Business at Apapa, which had come up with a number of solutions to the Apapa gridlock, adding that the team would coordinate the implementation of all interventions in order to ensure that the old glory of Apapa is restored.
Leading other residents, the Chairman Apapa Government Reservation Area Residents Association (AGRARA) Brig-Gen. Sola Ayo Vaughan (rtd), said the gains of the past 60 days would be lost if residents and other government agencies, such as the Nigeria ports Authority, NPA, the Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC), LASTMA, the Nigeria police and residents did not take ownership of the initiative.
He said: “As residents I think we are all happy with the efforts by the Federal Government to sanitise Apapa and to make life easier for us as residents. Though there are still pockets of issues with truck drivers who still block access roads, and the challenge we have been told would be resolved once the NPA is able to install the electronic call up system from where these trucks would be called from the various nominated parks to move into the port to carry out their activities.
Another resident Mrs Ronke Diers praised the Task Team for meeting with residents. She expressed happiness that government is working assiduously at addressing the traffic challenges at Apapa and hoped the dedicated lane would continue to be kept open for residents.
Hon Mrs Mojisola Lasbat Meranda, the lawmaker representing Apapa Constituency 1, said the state government would soon unveil a master plan that seeks to introduce public transportation at Apapa.
She disclosed that the state government plan to introduce ferries at Apapa, adding that efforts are on to develop three world class jetties within the area.
Besides the jetties, two dedicated Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems are in the pipelines and modalities regarding their introduction are ongoing.
