Will the recent task force set up by the government clear Apapa of the mess? Not likely
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was the latest in the long list of Lagos State and federal government officials to lament the tragedy of Apapa when he visited last week. But it is doubtful if the task force he set up is going to achieve anything, if the results of previous efforts are anything to go by. What the situation requires is the relocation of the 57 tank farms within Apapa and only the federal government can enforce that.
We recall that the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) once issued ultimatum to the federal government to evacuate all petrol tankers and other heavy duty vehicles along the access roads to the Apapa, Lagos sea ports. In the petition directed to the Minister of Transport, the union also demanded the rehabilitation of all the access roads to Apapa and the relocation of all the tank farms along the route.
The incessant gridlock on Oshodi/Apapa Expressway has practically shut all economic and other activities on the axis, besides inflicting untold hardship on residents and those whose businesses are located within the environs. “The utter neglect of the access roads has not only compromised the efficiency and service delivery of the ports due to the huge loss of man hours incurred daily on the roads, but has no doubt impacted negatively on the national economy. We have repeatedly called on government to relocate the tank farms along the Tin Can and Apapa Ports access roads for both safety of lives, property and economic reasons”, the maritime workers stated at the time.
On a normal working day, it takes an average of five hours meandering through the maze of tankers and trailers that have turned most of the roads in Apapa into parking lots. Besides, the horror offered by the craters and potholes is worse during raining season when movement from traffic-prone zones by motorists becomes very difficult. What this implies is that the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway through the Tin Can ports is most often literally shut down.
Given the state of affairs on the road, hoodlums have at different times taken advantage of this state of confusion to unleash mayhem on road users who severally have had to abandon their cars and run for safety. Many have lost their lives and property to these men of the underworld. Yet, as the days unfold, the Apapa Business District gets worse for what it offers both residents and businesses. It is even more saddening to note that some of these problems are within human control.
Primarily in an attempt to beat the long queues, most of the drivers fight to beat each other to the game. It is either that one tanker is struggling to avoid the queue or that another trailer has successfully beaten the others and is being given an executive clearance to load or offload. All these help to create an atmosphere of chaos which makes life very difficult for Apapa residents and visitors.
In more civilised climes, what is happening in Apapa is anathema while the armada of trailers and petroleum tankers will be considered primitive. Years of toeing the path of impropriety and poor infrastructure development and maintenance in the energy and other sectors are having their toll on other forms of business. It is sad, if not tragic that Apapa, which ordinarily should be the heartbeat for corporate Nigeria, is a neglected business district whose infrastructure, especially roads, are not only decayed but ignored by the relevant authorities.
Until the federal government finds it appropriate to build refineries close to the points of consumption, revive our rail systems and create a more orderly and cost effective means of lifting bulk cargo and petroleum products, Apapa will continue to be a nightmare for the residents and businesses operating within the town.
