- Task force should not relent until the vehicles bound for the ports are cleared off the roads
Barely 72 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari gave a directive that the notorious traffic gridlock that has practically grounded socio-economic activities at the Apapa port in Lagos and its environs be cleared within two weeks, the cheering news is that the task force set up to enforce the order is reportedly making steady progress.
According to the vice chairman of the task force, who is leading the enforcement team on the ground, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, the exercise is proceeding smoothly, with the whole of the Western Avenue and nearby bridges cleared of the obstructive trucks as at Monday afternoon. The heavy duty trucks previously parked on the road from the port to the Fadeyi area on Ikorodu Road, as well as such areas as Ojuelegba, Iddo, Ijora Olopa and Eko Bridge have also reportedly been evacuated.
If the task force continues to work at this pace, there is the likelihood that it would have made considerable impact within the time frame it has been given to carry out its assignment. While trucks that have no specific purpose for being in Lagos were directed to return to their destinations of origin, others that were empty or carrying goods were relocated to the Lillypond terminal and 54 private parking lots approved by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to facilitate the success of the exercise.
The dispatch with which the presidential directive is being executed shows that the protracted delay to meaningfully confront the Apapa problem over the years was due to lack of the requisite will to take necessary and decisive action.
While the seriousness with which the task force is carrying out its mandate is commendable, the critical challenge is for it to sustain its efforts till total success is achieved. This is particularly so as several half- hearted attempts had been made in the past to rid the area of the trucks only for them to be back on the roads and bridges within a short while. The task force as well as the policemen and traffic officers involved in the exercise no doubt still have a herculean challenge on their hands as the trucks are still said to be occupying the Ijora-Apapa Wharf bridge while the evacuation has been made more hazardous as a result of the collapse of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, especially at Tin Can – Coconut axis.
Ridding Apapa of the trucks that have impeded movement on the roads and bridges in the entire Apapa axis is critical not just to the economy of Lagos but to that of Nigeria as a whole. The traffic deadlock has hindered efficient operation of the ports with the country losing humongous amounts of money as a result of delay in clearing goods for import and export. Furthermore, the situation has greatly affected Apapa’s status as one of the country’s major socio-economic nerve centres, with thousands of businesses closing down and relocating from the area due to the intolerable deterioration of the environment. This has serious implications for employment as well as the sharp decline in the value of property.
Beyond this, the trucks constitute a serious risk as a result of being parked on bridges for long periods, thus exposing the structures to severe stress due to excess weight beyond their carrying capacity. This is apart from the dire security, environmental and health challenges arising from thousands of truck drivers and other workers virtually living on the roads and bridges for prolonged periods.
However, if the current effort is to achieve enduring success, there is need for accelerated action to complete the reconstruction of the roads to and from the ports, as well as the dilapidated roads within the Apapa community. Government should also accord the necessary priority to providing alternative rail transportation from the ports to other parts of the country so that it will be unnecessary for heavy duty trucks to transport goods across long distances with damaging consequences for the roads and the attendant loss of lives through road accidents.
