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By Steve Agbota
Traffic gridlock yesterday grounded all human and vehicular activities along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, as commuters, motorists and other road users were stranded for several hours due to ongoing construction works on the road.
The activities of truck and articulated vehicle operators who parked indiscriminately on the expressway furthercompounded the menace on the road.
From Cele busstop down to Mile 2, many commuters were seen trekking, while some waited along the road for commercial vehicles, even as there was scarcity of commercial vehicles as a result of seven days strike they embarked upon on Monday.
Due to the standstill situation, impatient motorists resorted to driving against the flow of traffic, otherwise known as one way driving, as Okoda riders use the opportunity to charge high fees for those who could not trek and wait for commercial vehicles.
Port users who alighted from the commercial buses held up in the chaotic traffic, trekked long distances to their various destinations, while lamenting the slow space of work on the road by the contractor.
The port users who spoke with Daily Sun urged Controller of Works and relevant authorities to hasten the reconstruction of the road.
However, movement from Ijesha busstop to Mile 2 Oke, along the same Apapa-Oshodi Expressway was completely locked down, thus subjecting motorists, residents, commuters and other road users to untold hardship.
The gridlock has also created multiple extortion points for security personnel stationed on the road to manage traffic.
When our reporter visited the road yesterday morning, touts and area boys were forcefully issuing truck and articulated vehicle operators different tickets ranging from N1000 to N5000.
Road users who spoke with Daily Sun lamented that the gridlock has caused more havoc for them as robbers are already taking advantage of the situation to dispossess them of their valuables both on the day and at night.
A Freight Forwarder, James Nwosu, said the traffic situation persists due to poor access roads and the failure of the government to prevail on the contractor handling the construction of the road to expedite action.
“No doubt, there will be gridlock because of the slow space of road construction. I don’t understand why the contractor cannot work both day and night in order to speed up the construction of the road.”
The NPA electronic call up is being frustrated by some people with selfish interest.
“Some people have turn the system to personal business ventures. For each call up, trucks pay N10,000 but this is just the official rate. They still part with other money being given to security operatives before they get to the port,” he said.
He said the main issue that has to do with the gridlock coupled with the state of the road has not been addressed. He said 70 per cent of the roads that lead or link to the port are in terrible state and need urgent repairs.
Also speaking, Mr Ibrahim Hakeem said the situation of the road has been a major concern for the port users, saying for the past one month, the road is always blocked both day and night, which is hindering export cargoes.
He said containers of export would spend weeks on the road before getting to the port, adding that extortion on the road has been become a lucrative business for security personnel and miscreants.
However, he described the traffic situation on the road as terrible, with armed robbers seizing the opportunity to rob motorists and commuters of their valuables day and night.
