MONSUR OLOWOOPEJO & ESTHER ONYEGBULA

For several months, motorists have been going through harrowing experiences along the Apapa/Oshodi expressway, especially at Mile 2, no thanks to the unending traffic gridlock caused by tanker drivers who queue endlessly for petroleum products, as well as the ongoing construction work being executed by construction giant – Julius Berger Plc.

The situation worsened by the day as the tanker drivers virtually took over the entire expressway and service lane, thereby leaving other road users with no choice than to spend several hours before getting to their destinations. Sometimes, road users end up not leaving this axis until midnight while at other times, most are left with no choice than to abandon their vehicles on the expressway and at the mercy of hoodlums.

As if the unending gridlock  was not enough trauma for motorists, robbers hijacked the situation to dispossess car owners of their valuables such as telephones and cash.  These robbers who usually hide in-between the trucks, usually approached frustrated and helpless motorists , brandishing guns and other dangerous weapons while they demand for money.  Atimes, they will shatter vehicle glasses which are wound up in order to gain access in their bid to forcefully collect whatever they could lay their hands on.

At other times, commuters who are left with no choice than to trek long distances before they would board buses to their destinations, are also dispossessed of their valuables by the hoodlums.

The traffic situation, undoubtedly overwhelmed the Police and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, whose presence were rarely felt . At Mile 2 Oke for instance, policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad, were not necessarily controlling traffic but arresting frustrated motorists who attempted to maneuver their ways by climbing the low curvets. To worsen the matter, men of the Federal Road Safety Corps and those of the Vehicle Inspection Service, VIS of the Lagos State Ministry of Transport are usually seen atop Mile two bridge stopping vehicles for checks.

Fashola’s visit

Appalled by the situation and subsequent media exposure, Governor Babatunde Fashola visited the Apapa/Oshodi expressway two weeks ago to see things for himself.
Although he attributed the gridlock to the ongoing construction work he put the blame squarely on the inability of the Federal administration to provide appropriate distribution channel for petroleum products.

Fashola, however , expressed hope that motorists would witness relief, following agreement by stakeholders to make changes within this week.

When Vanguard visited the axis last Tuesday, motorists lamented their woes. One of them, Mr Obekwe Nnamani charged: “Why are you coming to ask for my opinion about this situation? Are you not journalists? Is it not high time you wrote something that will attract the Federal and state governments’ attention to this area? As it is now, I cannot speak because I am already exhausted”

Another, motorist, Mr . Gbenga Oladimeji lamented: “I have been at this point for four hours now. Look at how these tankers have taken over the road. Don’t we have government in this country? Or are tanker drivers greater than the government? This is indeed a shame !”

A touching sight was that of a woman who was in labour. The woman whose identity could not be immediately ascertained, was sighted  at Mile 2 Oke, inside a Toyota camry car. She was reportedly on her way to Lagoon hospital in Apapa.

At a point, she came out of the car and with the assistance of some sympathizers, crossed to the other side of the road where she boarded a commercial bus that was driving against traffic.
Another commuter who simply gave her name as Nneka, told Vanguard: “My office is at Sunrise. I have been trekking from Second Rainbow to Sunrise for some months now.”

Following the situation, transport fare has shot up more than twice the usual amount, leaving commuters with no option than to comply.

The fresh initiative

Several towing trucks, combined security team and patrol vans were at the weekend mobilised to the Mile 2 axis especially at the Otto  wharf area of the expressway to ensure that no tanker or heavy duty truck parked on the road.
This probably accounted for the unusual un-interrupted free movement experienced on the ever busy expressway on Sunday.
In fact, no   tanker  or heavy duty truck  was parked on the road as against what was the order of the day before that time.

According to reports, the improvement resulted from Governor Fashola’s directive to the officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA and Taskforce on Environment and Special Offences (Enforcement Unit) to manage the traffic gridlock in Apapa.

Fashola, who reportedly spoke after inspecting the level of traffic on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the ports said that the state will work with all the stakeholders in the axis to ensure that normalcy returns to the Apapa Central Business District, CBD.

According to him, “The state government will look into the matter  concerning the 51 hectares of land raised by the transport unions. But in the meantime, we will keep our men here-LASTMA, Taskforce and others to manage the traffic; to ensure that business activities can thrive again.”

Navy to the rescue?

Apparently rising up to the challenge, the Nigerian Navy has launched Operation ‘Clear The Traffic’ in Lagos, with a charge to owners of tank farms along the Apapa/Oshodi expressway to work out modalities on how to discharge petroleum products to tanker drivers.

To drive home its message, Naval personnel have been drafted to areas witnessing gridlocks across the state, to ensure  free flow of traffic.

The Commander NNS Beecroft, Commodore Emmanuel Uwadiae, who personally led a team to Apapa axis, told tanker drivers who had no business within the area to stay in the parks provided for them, or move to the Lagos / Ibadan expressway and queue up there while  awaiting their turn.

Commodore Uwadiae explained that the intervention was necessary to put an end to the prolonged sufferings of road users, as well as to  check serious security challenges which could result from the Apapa traffic gridlock.
Areas of concentration according to him, included Apapa-Wharf, Marine Beach through Mobil, down to Tin-Can, Liverpool, Ibafo, Berger- Mile 2 and Orile Iganmu roads.

According to him: “We have a lot of national development assets along these axes and with the current security situation and acts of terrorism, it will not be safe to allow the situation to continue. “The Nigerian Navy has to ensure that we clear the gridlock, in order to allow free flow of traffic.

“Also, about 90 percent of our personnel resides around these roads. So, it is affecting our military operations because mobilizing our officers and men becomes difficult when there is no movement of vehicles in these areas. This is also very critical because when you talk about military operations, you are talking of time, which is of great essence in mobilizing people and personnel.

“Those are the reasons we have to move in to help the commuters remedy the situation and to ensure safety and security in these areas.”
The operation according to him, started at the early hours of Thursday in different areas of  Lagos, informing that it would continue for the next seven days.

In addition, Uwadiae said the Navy would hold meetings with various stakeholders to review the cause of the traffic as well as proffer a lasting solution, which would include allowing only vehicles billed for loading into the tank farms.

He therefore, stressed the need for owners of tank farms along the axis, as well as the concessionaires operating  Nigeria Ports Authority ,NPA facilities and the cargo owners, to work out modality whereby vehicles and trucks would move in trenches into the ports and tank farms, rather than moving in at the same time.

Said he: “We are calling on these stakeholders to do more by scheduling their vehicles that are coming into the terminals and port either to discharge  or take cargoes. If proper timing, like indicating the exact time and when they should come is worked out, it will save us this chaotic situation ”

To the tanker drivers, he said; “They should move to Lagos/ Ibadan expressway and queue up there, awaiting their turn.
“The traffic situation is not helping anybody nor helping business because valuable manpower is also lost to traffic, thereby leading to frustrations, health hazards and low productivity”

Truck drivers absolve selves of blame

However, most truck drivers who spoke with Vanguard absolved themselves of blame for the gridlock along Apapa/Oshodi expressway. Rather, they fingered  APM terminal as the major cause.

According to one of them who simply gave his name as Musa, “APM terminal is the cause of the traffic. They will ask truck drivers to come and load and even give us loading order. But when we come, we would be denied access into the terminal for reasons best known to them. Sometimes, agents will contract us to take our trucks out of the terminal.

“We are also feeling the pains because most times, we end up staying here for  days . We sleep in the open at night , abandoning our families . Do you know what? We pay  for loading order every night, between five thousand to ten thousand naira and the order expires after 24 hours.

“They use the delay as a means to extort money from us and yet  they will not attend to us on time. Do you now see  why I said we are not the cause?”

Goriola Bello, a transporter, also complained bitterly saying; “We don’t know what is happening to APM terminal. “As a driver, I have slept outside for three days, waiting to take a container from this terminal without any luck. This unnecessary delay costs us so much but it profits the terminal operators. As if that is not enough, for every night we spend here, you find LASTMA officials, Police and and other taskforce  officials coming to extort us. We are fed up.”

Another truck driver, Daneil Ejiofor, who claims to have been driving for 18 years said, “ I have being here for days, waiting to load at the APM terminal. Already, two days permit have expired and the third one will expire by 12 midnight.

“To apply for a new loading order costs between five to ten thousand naira, depending on the size of the container. This traffic is really affecting us very much.
“Before this traffic situation got to this stage, I used to go about three trips a week but presently, it is almost impossible to have a trip in a week.

“For every night I spend here, I pay N1,500 to taskforce officials.”
However, a commercial bus driver who identified himself as comrade Olufemi Peters, blamed truck drivers, saying: “I am a transporter with 37 years experience on this road. I am a member of National Union of Road Transport Worker Association, NURTW Apapa.

“The whole thing is so difficult, I can’t work. I spent several hours on this bridge (Mile two). The trucks are the cause of this traffic.

“Before, I used to do  three trips but now, it is almost impossible to do one. In my 37 years of plying this route, I have never had such an experience as a commercial bus driver. I ply wharf \CMS. “But for the Navy that came to our rescue today, we would still be stuck in traffic, all we need is a lasting solution to this nightmare.”, he said
With this step in place, one therefore hopes that the hitherto traffic congestion along Apapa/
Oshodi expressway will become a thing of the past.