AGAIN, LAGOS GOVERNOR PROMISED TO TACKLE APAPA TRAFFIC GRIDLOCK

–AS AMATO WITHDRAW TRUCK SERVICES ON TUESDAY

By Innocent Orok

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide SANWO-OLU has again promised to tackle the traffic gridlock that has engulfed the Apapa axis of the state for a long time now. The Governor made the promised during his visit to the area on Sunday.
He lamented that the unabating gridlock caused by the trucks in Apapa is very disturbing.

Sanwo-olu who donated a 30hecteres of land at the Ijora axis for the construction of a new truck park also promised to engage the Federal Government to allow the immediate use of the 700 truck capacity Lilipond Terminal at Ijora.

He said “On an inspection tour around projects sites , we intend to engage with the Federal Government to allow the immediate use of the 700-truck capacity Lilypond Terminal to take the trailers off the road.

“In addition to this, We are making available 30 hectares of land at Ijora to build an additional park for trucks. I also took time to personally inspect projects meant to improve traffic around Constain, Iganmu, Apapa and Mile 2 areas.

“We are addressing the chaos created by the indiscriminate parking of trailers along the routes. We have to set out our activities in a methodical order and see how we can redevelop Apapa. There is already an extensive road construction project going on in Apapa.”

Liverpool and Creek roads have already been completed. By October, all the road networks leading in and out of the port area would be opened up for public use.
The Governor promised that they have assessed the issues and that a permanent solution will be achieved.
“We have assessed the issues and a permanent solution will be achieved.”

This is the second time the governor will be visiting the Apapa axis for inspection of the traffic gridlock ravaging the area.
It could be recalled that barely a month of his assumption in office last year, Sanwo-olu visited the Apapa area to see things for himself.

The traffic gridlock at the area has grounded most businesses despite the Presidential Taskforce on the easing of the traffic set up last year by the Federal Government, the menace is getting worst by the day and no end insight.

Meanwhile the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) would join the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, (NUPENG) in withdrawing their services due to bad roads and extortions on the ports access road within the Lagos axis.

The strike action, according to a letter signed by the President of AMATO, Remi Ogungbemile will begin from Tuesday, August. 11, 2020.

He said the decision was in solidarity with the petroleum tanker drivers group that had earlier announced service withdrawal from Monday, August 10, 2020. AMATO suffer an unfriendly work environment as a result of ill-treatment by security agencies.

He said: “We are in solidarity with the petroleum tanker drivers because, we suffer the same thing from law enforcement agencies; they extort our members and maltreat our people. They vandalise our trucks.

“The cost of running our business has to consider the agencies of government, especially on the port access roads. “We need government to intervene because it makes our work environment very unbearable, and drivers stay on the road for weeks and on for months.” AMATO claimed.