While expressing frustration at the development, many commuters lamented that commercial drivers usually take advantage of the situation to increase their fares by 100 percent and above. For instance, a journey from Apapa to Oshodi which usually attracts N150 was increased astronomically to between N300 and N500.

A commuter, Mr. Abraham Akinlade, complained that the recurrent traffic snarl had affected his marital obligation. ‘’I live at Orile and work in Okokomaiko, I close from work around 5pm but do not get home until midnight. As a result, I am always tired to satisfy my wife who always turned a deaf to my explanations. She eventually parked out of my home, leaving our three kids,’’ he informed.

Another commuter, Mrs Salisu Basirat said thus: ‘’Travelling on this road comes with pains, most especially during peak periods, which are either in the morning when people are rushing to their various places of business, or in the evening when they are returning home. It is even worse whenever it rains.”

We’re the most affected- NURTW

The Lagos State branch of National Union of Road Transport Workers NURTW, also joined the chorus of lamentation as it claimed that the gridlock had seriously taken a heavy toll on its members. Speaking with Vanguard Features last Saturday, Deputy Secretary, Mr. Paul Ogini, said: ‘’I can tell you that the traffic situation is no longer a child’s play and it is affecting our business. On a good day, we make a lot of money, especially when we make several trips. But due to the persistent gridlock, most operators go home everyday with almost nothing for the owner of the vehicle.’’

He therefore appealed to the state and Federal governments to hasten the rehabilitation work on the road and bring succour to Nigerians, especially the transporters. He said the major cause of the gridlock is lack of maintenance of the road, adding that government does not need to wait till the road is completely bad before embarking on rehabilitation. “Everybody is aware that the road is the commercial hub of the nation which must be maintained regularly; government has shown little or no concern until it degenerated, making travelling unbearable for transporters,” he said.

Expansion of drainage

Mr.Ogini also had this to say:

“Before now, we had suggested to government the need to expand the drainage which I think will take care of erosion and flooding as well as durability of the road. We have told them that it is not our responsibility to fix the road. The government is saddled with the responsibly of making life bearable for the people.

Since we pay our taxes regularly, government should provide infrastructural facility to make life easier for us. The commuters are complaining about increase in fare but this is the only option we have to make up for the number of man hours usually lost on the road because the traffic is taking its toll on road users”.

Blame tanker drivers, port concession — Opeifa

Lagos State Commissioner for

Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, in a brief response blamed the gridlock on the unruly attitude of tanker drivers and the inability of various union leaders, such as NUPENG, PTD, among others  to instill and maintain discipline among their members.

Opeifa, while speaking with VF on the chaotic traffic situation in the area, put the blame on indiscriminate parking by indisciplined tanker drivers, lack of provision of loading bay by tank farms, illegal activities of some oil union members, delays in issuance of loading clearance by management of Nigerian Port Authority, NPA, and Tin Can Ports as well as on-going rehabilitation of a portion along the axis by julius Berger which, he said, had reduced the lane to about one due to diversion of the road.

On the port concessioning, he said this had taken away the normal parking space for tankers, adding that mismanagement of the port and careless attitude as well as disregard for better quality of lives to the people are also to blame. Also the continued reconstruction of roads for four years without recourse to the plight of the people has aggravated traffic along the axis.

According to him, despite huge fund realised from the port concessioning, the Federal Government has failed to plough this into infrastructural development in the area, adding that the illegal activities of tank farm operators had constantly led to indiscriminate parking on the highway. “The people should ask the Federal Government to explain their role in revenue generation and neglect of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway degradation without any positive response,” the commissioner said.

He explained that earlier efforts by the state government to intervene on infrastructure upgrade in the axis had been frustrated by the nonchalant attitude of the Federal Government which had failed to play its own part.

Whither LASTMA officials?

On the inadequate presence of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, officials around the traffic gridlock area, Opeifa said he was unaware of the development, saying: “It should not be the case because LASTMA men are suppose to be on ground to manage the traffic accordingly.  I will look into it with a view to addressing the situation, because our men work from 6 am to 10 pm everyday, controlling and managing traffic in and around Lagos”.

He also assured that: “LASTMA personnel had been deployed to control and manage the situation effectively in order to reduce the plight of motorists and residents”, adding: “Our government is responsive and responsible towards providing succour to its teeming residents, irrespective of class, religion, ethnicity, geographical location among others. Our men are presently doing their best possible to ameliorate the situation.”

It would be recalled that following persistent traffic gridlock in the area, the Federal and state governments, created a Joint Military Taskforce to maintain sanity after several illegal buildings were destroyed. Similarly, the state government mobilised towing trucks and forcefully removed abandoned vehicles on the axis following the expiration of a 72-hour ultimatum to tanker drivers to vacate the highway. Motorists and residents who heaved a sigh of relief for some days after the exercise, were soon faced with gridlock as heavy traffic returned.