By Kingsley Adegboye

Apart from sanity being restored, great relief has come the way of Apapa and its environs as the task force  team of Lagos State Government comprising the Police, Military, LASTMA and KAI officials swung into action  last week to clear off illegal structures, trailers and tankers parking along Apapa/Wharf Road especially at Liverpool Bridge, Marine Beach and Navy Dockyard area.

The State Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello who led the operation disclosed that the activities of the people living under the bridge were causing security threat, traffic gridlock and also weakening the bridge which might eventually result into possible bridge collapse if the state government did not take the urgent action to clear the area.

The enforcement team which acted on the instruction of the Governor cleared shanties, illegal parks and structures which had been hideouts for criminals in the area.

...Men at work

Bello said “our objective here is to make commerce and movement in Apapa to be smooth and free. Before now, there was bottleneck and people could not access the road easily. Governor Fashola paid a visit to the area and saw people sleeping under the bridge and carrying out all sorts of illegal activities.

Their activities and those of tanker drivers had affected the delivery of goods at the Port. It is also one of the reasons why people could not access the Port in time. Several companies have shut been down because of the degradation and abuse of the area”

The Commissioner said that cutlasses, knives, guns  and other dangerous weapons were recovered by the enforcement team.

The Environment Commissioner who said that serious damage had been done to the Marine Bridge,therefore called on Federal Government to examine the bridge from Ijora to Apapa.

The clearance of the illegal structures according to him, would afford the Federal Government the  opportunity to ascertain the structural integrity of the bridge and make amendment where necessary.

Bello who said the Federal Government gave its  support to the clearing exercise, assured that the state government would complete the restoration of sanity in the area. Citing Oshodi as example, he said that the regeneration of the Apapa area would be sustained.

In his own contribution, the Commissioner for Transport in the State, Mr. Kayode Opeifa explained that the State Government would not tolerate a situation where roads meant for vehicular movement would be blocked with parked trailers while motorists struggle for space to move.