2 Yrs on, Buhari orders vehicles evacuated around Lagos Port in 72hrs

 

2 Yrs on, Buhari orders vehicles evacuated around Lagos Port in 72hrs

 Nearly two years after, gridlock around Lagos Port in Apapa may be getting maximum attention as President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered vehicles should be evacuated within 72 hours.

Following road rehabilitations and activities of truck owners in the busy Apapa, Lagos, that axis of the state has remained locked-down by almost immovable vehicular traffic.

ALSO READ: Gridlock on Apapa Lagos Axis Persists for 4 Months

Anyone who’s driven through Nigeria’s commercial capital, Lagos, will have come up against its notorious traffic jams.

Apapa, a district near some of the city main port, is arguably the worst place of all.

The roads are usually lined on both sides with container lorries parked up and waiting to get into the port.

This gives cars only a single lane to drive on.

But there could be some respite as President Muhammadu Buhari has told the police and other agencies to unblock the chaotic roads.

All lorries on the bridges and roads within Apapa and all adjoining streets should be cleared within two weeks, a statement from the presidency says.

Most of the goods being imported to the country come through Apapa, and delays caused by traffic basis seriously affects the economy, the statement adds.

In November 2017, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo was flown over the Apapa and its environs for an aerial assessment of the situation to enable him observe the extent of the gridlock

The VP tweeted: “Today, I presided over a Govt/Private sector meeting on how to resolve the Apapa traffic gridlock. Last week, I flew over the Apapa for an aerial assessment of the situation. Last week, I flew over the Apapa for an aerial assessment of the situation”.

Due to the severity of the traffic gridlock, the Lagos State Government, in August, 2017, directed owners and operators of articulated vehicles/trailers and petroleum tankers to stay away from Lagos.

The State Government in a press conference jointly addressed by officials of the State as well as members of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, regretted that the incessant traffic bottleneck had impacted negatively on the commercial activities of the citizenry, adding that the directive would be enforced to eliminate the current hardship being faced by motorists.

In October 2017, the House of Representatives Committee on works sought for solutions to the situation when they visited ministry of works.

Part of the recommendations of the Reps for quicker solution of the Apapa situation is for the Ministry to  look inwards by expanding and rehabilitating Orile-Iganmu Truck Park or engage a concessionaire through Public Private Partnership so as to offer timely respite to tanker/truck drivers plus other road users to halt further socio-economic loss in the state.

President Buhari order for immediate evacuation of vehicles along the paths may likely solve the two-year old impasse.