SUNRISE NEWS, Lagos, July 22, 2020 The Vice Chairman, Presidential Task Team on Restoration of Law and Order in Apapa, Comrade Kayode Opeifa has debunked the report by a national newspaper, of a total breakdown of law and order resulting into traffic congestion in Apapa.
Opeifa said the report lacks objectivity and didn’t reflect the true state of things in Apapa, adding that the authors failed to visit the Apapa to observe the flow of vehicles on the axis as confirmed by the stakeholders including those who live in Apapa area.
Reacting to the report titled: “Vehicles spend months in queue as Apapa congestion persists”, Opeifa said that it was disheartening that the article failed to do due diligence by investigating the true happenings from the concerned stakeholders before the publication of the report.
He described the entire report as unfounded and misleading. He challenged the writer to come and show where congestion of trucks exist in Apapa and how the trucks queued for months before accessing the port as wrongly reported. According to Opeifa even the photo used to illustrate the story did not show any form of congestion.
Opeifa said that apart from the fact that views of the various stakeholders whose businesses have been positively impacted by the restoration of law and order on Apapa axis were not captured in the report, elated property owners who had hitherto abandoned their property before the presidency’s intervention were also curiously left out in the report.
The Executive Vice Chairman also faulted the report for failing to explain the role of ongoing construction in the movement into Apapa through the Tin Can end, saying contrary to the misinformation in the publication, more stakeholders are commending Vice President Yemi Osinbajo-led presidential task team for the restoration of sanity which is responsible for the smooth traffic flow on the axis.
Instead of misinforming the public, Opeifa said what Nigeria needs now is to join hands with the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to fight corruption.
“The country needs the support of all to fight corruption not to encourage it. Go and check the statistics and figures from stakeholders, not unverified drivers where they are to stage pending when needed. Talk to Terminal Operators, ENL, APMT, GDNL,TICT, Port and Cargo Truck owners not truck movers. Manufacturers like Dangote, Flour Mills, BUA, Honeywell, Standard Flours who are stakeholders, these are the people whose views were not heard in the false report,” he said