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By Isaac Anumihe
On November 23, 2017, a traffic enforcement team comprising the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Police, Nigerian Civil Defence Corps and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), impounded a number of trucks either stationed or abandoned along the Apapa-Wharf Road. The action was in fulfillment of the earlier warning to the truck-owners to evacuate their trucks from the road or lose them to the Federal Government.
In a statement, the General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr Abdullahi Goje, on November 17, 2017, warned all truck owners to pull out their trucks from the road or risk having them confiscated by the authorities.
According to him, the decision was reached after consultations with major stakeholders in the maritime industry.
He also said the authority, as part of its commitment to decongesting traffic in the Apapa area, will advertise for the licensing of trailer parks as a way of creating holding bay facilities for truckers.
In addition, the NPA will deploy an effective call-up system which will link the port gate with the trailer parks facility such that trucks will only be called up at the appropriate time.
“The authority reiterates its commitment to the Federal Government policy on ease of doing business and will employ every legal means to ensure that there is sanity on the roads leading to the ports.
The authority, as part of its commitment to decongesting the traffic in the Apapa area will advertise for the licensing of trailer parks as a way of creating holding bay facilities for truckers” Goje, said.
A week earlier, Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, ordered the truck operators to immediately vacate the highway, and directed Joint Security taskforce to ensure implementation of the order.
Speaking in Lagos after a visit to Apapa area, the General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr. Olawale Musa, said the move was part of measures to ensure free flow of traffic and safety of lives and property of residents in the axis. The action, he said, is aimed at freeing Apapa-Oshodi Expressway of traffic gridlocks and making the axis accessible to other road users.
He said that no responsible government would fold its arms and allow lawlessness and impunity to reign within its territory. The General Manger stressed that Ambode’s administration remained alive to its responsibilities and will not shy away from attending to the plight of the people.
It is against his backdrop, he said, a Special Task Force comprising the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Police, Nigerian Civil Defence Corps and Lagos State traffic Management Agency (LASTMA) under the Chairmanship of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Edgar Imohimi, was set up to rid Apapa and its environs of activities of illegal parking and menace of vehicles.
Musa stated that at the recent stakeholders’ meeting, articulated vehicles that were discovered to be returning empty containers to the port further compounded the gridlock in the axis because many of them were often forced to wait up to 10 days to discharge empty containers.
“This made them to park on the main carriageways for days and in the process impeding free-flow of traffic. This was largely due to the fact that shipping companies that were supposed to provide holding bays for the empty containers in accordance with the licence issued to them to operate in the country have also refused to provide them.
“The stakeholders have therefore resolved that henceforth, these vehicles are to use the following holding bays and terminals including Comet Terminal, Joatelim, Ballore Transport and Logistics, HBX Terminal, Unity Bonded Terminal, Falcon Terminal, Port and Marine Services and Duncan Terminal for their activities.” he said.
The GM also said that stakeholders had agreed that all trucks currently loading at the port will be issued a docket indicating where they should return their empty containers instead of waiting ceaselessly on the roads to return them, assuring that the current effort and exercise to restore sanity and orderliness to Apapa would be sustained.
He, therefore, enjoined all stakeholders, especially the Shipping Council and Shipping Lines, to sensitise and educate their staff members on the new directive.
“People should stop putting individual interest over and above public interest. Members of the public should also take possession of the already cleared roads, and not hesitate to inform the agency of any broken-down or abandoned tankers and trucks on Apapa – Oshodi Expressway as LASTMA has been empowered and positioned to respond promptly to any distress call” he said.
In the same vein, the General Manager of Western Ports, Apapa, Adenike Sonaike, equally warned that unauthorised vehicles parked within the ports would be impounded.
“We have warned commercial motorcyclists and tricycle operators to stop plying the routes. We have seized several “okadas” and handed them over to the security men. We will no longer tolerate such acts of indiscipline. Anybody caught henceforth will be arrested and prosecuted,’’ she said.
The general manager said the operation of commercial motorcycles, trucks and tricycles around the port access roads negated international best practices.
“Allowing them to operate negates the standard of the International Ships and Ports Security (ISPS) Code and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) laws,” she said.
She also said that traders, who display their wares along the ports roads, are major threats to port users.
“The port is a restricted area that is open to only those who have business inside the port” she noted.
Notwithstanding these warnings and threats, the traffic situation in Lagos, has proved the effort of government wrong as traffic situation since then has simply become unimaginable following the indiscriminate parking of trucks from different parts of the country – all destined for Apapa ports.
Such a situation not only contributes to economic loss, but also makes the Executive Order earlier given to the port operators by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, ineffective. The executive order encompasses the 24-hour operation of the ports and the ease of doing business.
According to the richest businessman in Africa, Mr Aliko Dangote, the nation loses N10 billion daily or N140 billion weekly to the Apapa gridlock.
Recall that Dangote owns a cement and a flour mills firms plying the Apapa axis and he has over 40 per cent trucks across the country.
Although, the Federal Government is still tinkering on the idea of establishing holding bays, trailers parks, and dry ports across the country, the facilities have not been operational yet. This situation has generated a heated debate in the maritime industry to the extent that stakeholders have advised government to back down on its plans to impound trucks on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.
According to them, if the action is carried out without proper arrangements for the truck parks it will slow down business and cause huge economic loss. This is because the nation generates over N30 billion daily from both Apapa and Tin Can ports.
Whereas holding bays would be located near the ports to provide temporary parking lot for the trucks, trailers parks would be established across the country to provide both parking spaces and refreshment for drivers. Similarly, dry ports would be located in six geo-political zones of the country. The cargoes would be ferried through the rail to the nearest dry port from where the importer can evacuate them.
In his view, Co-ordinator, Save Nigeria Freight Forwarders, Chief Osita Chukwu, harped on the provision of holding bays and trailer parks before confiscating the trucks.
“The only mechanism that can save the situation is to provide holding bays for them to park their vehicles. Pursuing them may not be to the advantage of Nigeria. Nigerians are the owners of the trailers and the containers. If you want to treat an infection, don’t treat it from the surface, otherwise it will fester. But if you want to treat an infection, you treat it from the foundation. The Federal Government and the state government can partner to provide a very good holding bay so that people can hire the truck from the bay. There should be a call centre where they can call any truck. You can book any truck online from the call centre” he said.
Another freight forwarder, Mr Goddy Uwazurike, said that it will be counter-productive to impound trucks that come to lift petroleum products to other parts of the country. This, to him, may cause fuel scarcity and other economic issues.
“How can the government impound trailers that come to evacuate cargoes from the ports or return empty containers? The government should make adequate arrangement before carrying out its plans. Worse still, the impounded trucks are still left on the road because the government has not provided a place to park the impounded trucks. This is why the traffic situation has worsened since the implementation of the order.” he said.
