By Jude Njoku with reports from Victor Ahiuma-Young, Olasunkanmi Akoni, Michael Eboh & Sebastine Obasi

While buttressing his call for the relocation of tank farms from the Apapa area, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola had asserted thus: “I think that agencies of the Federal Government must step up their safety compliance levels. Everybody must do his/her job and that is short term.

The long term is to relocate all these facilities away from residential areas. Lagos State is ready to provide these facilities.”

Fashola urged the Federal Government to take advantage of the Oil and Gas Section at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in its relocation plan.

FG plans to relocate tank farms: The Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, however, recently disclosed that there were plans to relocate the tank farms along the Oshodi/Apapa expressway as a way of finding a lasting solution to the unending gridlock.

Obanikoro, who disclosed this during his visit to Oshodi/Apapa expressway also urged the Lagos State Government  to provide a permanent parking bay for trucks, from where  drivers could be reached. Obanikoro, explained that the visit became pertinent  following the security implication of allowing trucks to use the road as a park.

He, however, applauded  steps taken by  the Western Naval Command, WNC, to ease the flow of traffic along the expressway, including other areas witnessing gridlock but added that the WNC’s effort might not be a permanent one since it was not its constitutional duty to control traffic.

According to him: “We have been looking at the security implication of allowing trailers and trucks to use the road as a park.

“There are plans and we are also working with all stakeholders to ensure that the threat to this corridor is kept under check. It is not easy to just close all these tank farms  overnight. What is important now  is to call for more vigilance on the part of all the operators.

We are doing our best to ensure free flow of traffic—NUPENG

The Lagos Zonal Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, Comrade Tokunbo Korodo told VM that the union, in collaboration with the Lagos State government, is doing everything within its power to ensure free flow of traffic.

According to him: “If you go there now, you will see our officials on ground controlling the traffic and ensuring that tankers no longer park indiscriminately on the road.

“We are also working in partnership with LASTMA officials in that area to ensure less traffic congestion. Our monitoring officials are working on shift basis: morning, afternoon and night to ensure orderliness and ensure that Nigerians and Lagosians, in particular, get fuel.

If we fail to handle the situation with caution, it may affect fuel distribution in the country. This is what we are trying to avoid. For your information, most of the tankers you see are not Lagos- based. But that is not an excuse and like I said, our officials are on ground to ensure there is order. We are not hooligans; we are not lawless and we are law-abiding and a disciplined organisation” .

On the dangers motorists and other road users are exposed to because of the chaotic situation created, Korodo said: “Let me be frank with you. Part of the responsibilities of both the Federal and State governments is to protect lives and property of citizens.

We cannot encroach on their duty. Our own is to get fuel distributed to everybody. In as much as we are doing our legitimate job, we also expect them to do their own.  If you must know, we have been victims of the lapses of the security situation.

“Today, armed robbers hardly snatch cars again, but tankers. A lot of our members have been pushed out of moving tankers on the high ways while their trucks are hijacked on motion. Many of them have died in the process while others are incapacitated. It could take up to three or four days before we find the empty truck. This is one major reason why night movement of products is unattractive.

Unattractive products

“As we speak, most of NNPC depots have no products. It is only the private depots that have products as at today. The way government is focusing on tanker drivers, they should do the same to containers and other articulated vehicles. The issue of products distribution is very critical and has to be handled with care for it not to boomerang.”

Navy wades in: As part of efforts to find a lasting solution to the perennial traffic gridlock in its area of operation, the Nigerian Naval Services, NNS, Beecroft, Yard  Apapa, inaugurated a special committee of stakeholders to identify causes of the traffic snarl with a view to finding workable common solutions.

Addressing newsmen at the end of a closed door meeting that lasted for three hours, the Commander of NNS Beecroft, Commodore  Ovenseri Uwadiae, who presided over the meeting, said the traffic gridlock in the area is causing a colossal economic loss to the nation due to the several man-hours lost, closure of businesses and threat to the general security.

He assured that with commitment and support of stakeholders, traffic gridlock in the area would soon become a thing of the past. Observing that the solutions are both long and short term, he explained thus: “For now, the stakeholders  have resolved to focus on immediate solutions capable of bringing relief to motorists using Apapa Mile Two Express way”.

Shipping companies

The stakeholders, according to Uwadiae, agreed to set up a special committee that would implement all the decisions taken at the meeting.

“The NPA will lead other members of the committee to inspect and ensure that shipping companies are operating loading bays in order to reduce the number of trucks around the area and only trucks that have been marked  for loading  are within Apapa vicinity.

Furthermore, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Police, NPA and other stakeholders would fashion out routes for trailers and tankers coming to the Apapa  Mile Two area for business in a way that they will only occupy a dedicated section of the service lane. This will restore orderliness on the road. I am confident that with support of everybody motorists will soon begin to  experience stress- free driving in the area very soon,” he said.

He directed the management of NPA, to ensure that the concessionaire operating at the port improves on its facilities so as to reduce the time being spent by trucks at the ports entrance. According to him, the spill-over from the entrance aggravates the traffic jam.

Uwadiae said that from information he gathered from representatives of the Federal Ministry of Works, the contractor handing the reconstruction of the road, Messrs Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, will move in soon to fix all the identified bad portions of the express way.

Also, speaking at the end of the meeting, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Babatunde Edu solicited the support and cooperation of other stakeholders in the task of ensuring that traffic flows smoothly.

Other stakeholders at the meeting which is expected to reconvene in two weeks time, were leaders and representatives of National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria. RTEAN, Police, NPA, Federal Ministry of Works and Nigerian Navy.

Endless controversies between FG and LASG

The Federal Government had in 2012, expressed its readiness to accelerate the reconstruction of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and its environs. This followed the successful clearing of the axis by the Joint Presidential Committee on Ports Reform and the Lagos State government.

In May 2012, President Goodluck Jonathan sent high-powered delegation, led by Minister for Finance and coordinating minister for Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to Lagos to assess progress of work on the ongoing repairs.

Other members of the delegation were Idris Umar, Minister of Transport, Mike Onolememen, Minister of Works and Sylvester Monye, Chairman of the Ports Monitoring Committee. Dr Iweala noted that Mr. President was passionate about attaining the objective of the port reform especially the clearing of goods within 48 hours.

VM checks showed that the road would not have gone into its present state of disrepair if the Federal Government, which rakes in over a trillion Naira as revenue from the ports, had reacted promptly to various pleas by the Lagos State Government.