Follow Us on Google
Steve Agbota
In compliance to a Presidential Order, the task force on Apapa gridlock headed by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, has eventually cleared all the trailers and trucks parked on Lagos ports access roads and bridges leading to Eko, Ijora and Wharf road.
This was made possible by the Lagos State Transport Management Agency (LASTMA) and other scurity agencies who embarked on forceful clearance on Saturday and Sunday evening.
During the enforcement exercise, some truck drivers who refused to take their vehicles off the roads were arrested and may be charged to court, even as many trucks were still being towed to various centres of the agency as at the time of this report
However, contrary to the 72 hour- order given by President Mohammadu Buhari for all trailers and trucks to vacate the roads leading to the ports, most truck drivers are now turning Lagos streets into their parking lots, while some trucks were seen parked at Iponri environs.
When Daily Sun visited the ports yesterday, no articulated vehicles was found on ijora bridge, Eko bridge and other roads leading to Apapa port.
Meanwhile as at yesterday afternoon and at the point of filing this report, the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, leading to Tin Can Island port was on complete lockdown. Traffic however moving at a very slow space.
Though, the task force and security operatives said they are working to ensure that all trucks are cleared off the port access roads, the Apapa – Oshodi Expressway still posed a huge challenge.
Speaking with Daily Sun on the arrest of his members by the task force, Chairman of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi said: “It is not only our association members that were arrested. The arrest included many otherusers of the roads. The arrest was not against particular association. If anybody violates the presidential order, such should be arrested to serve as deterrent to others. We are not against the task force arresting anybody that violate the regulation.”
Commenting on why truck drivers are now parking on the streets, he said, the task force monitoring team was trying its best to ensure sanity is restore back to the roads. He explained: “The trucks are many and they just have to start from somewhere. So far, they have tried and they are still trying because they are still working.
“They would have achieved more had it been that they didn’t say all trucks should leave the roads. If all the trucks should leave the roads, it means that all the operations in the ports have to be closed and they cannot close the ports for economic reasons and for so many other reasons. So therefore, they have to allow some trucks to be moving especially those that are going to the companies like Dangote or a place like EMS where they have bulk cargo.”
As part of efforts to restore order to the roads, order has been given that all articulated vehicles aiming to access the ports are to forthwith do that through accredited temporary Truck Parks for Port access via Lilypond Terminal
