By Dirisu Yakubu

In a bid to clear the gridlock at the Tin Can Island and Apapa area of Lagos, the federal government is set to deploy 200 security personnel to enforce compliance on heavy duty trucks not to park along the road, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi has said.

Amaechi disclosed this, Wednesday, during a meeting with Maritime Stakeholders and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN,  in Lagos.

Vanguard recalls that the union had threatened to go on strike if government failed to address the gridlock on the route.

The Minister however noted that  a steering committee headed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Magdalene Ajani, will seat monthly until the challenges are overcome.

Members of the committee are expected to be drawn from the Nigerian Ports Authourity, NPA, Nigerian Shippers Council, NSC,  MWUN, Federal Road Safety  Commission, FRSC and the Lagos state government.

Amaechi directed the committee to write to the Inspector General of Police for possible deployment of more officers for the assignment.

“The issue of traffic on these routes is because in Nigeria, we don’t discipline people. People do whatever they like even when it’s wrong because there is no consequence for our actions. We need security officers to enforce compliance on truck blocking the road.

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“200 men at Tin Can and Apapa to be stationed there everyday because Nigerians don’t obey until there are consequences for actions. NPA, Shippers Council must have a level of funding to resolve this challenges.

“We need to talk to shippers and traders especially those around Warri,  to see how they can be using Warri port, so that Lagos Ports will be decongested,  we can get security to follow the cargoes to that area, so that traders from Aba, Onitsha that are ready to use that Port can go there,” he said.

Also speaking, Deputy Secretary General of MWUN, Abudu Eroje, said was bent on going on strike because of the hardship workers faced going to their offices as a result of the gridlock.

According to him, the union is now part of the implementation committee which took a decision to send out to letters to relevant stakeholders directing trucks to relocate to parks.

Eroje assured that a manuel call-up system would commence before the electronic system to enable all access road  to Tin Can.

Vanguard News Nigeria