The Lagos State Government has
sympathised with residents and commuters of Apapa-Oshodi and other parts of
Lagos affected by the lingering gridlock caused by the congestion of trucks and
articulated vehicles along the area.
The state government has asked the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing to consider shifting the proposed closure dates for the Third Mainland Bridge to a later date.
The state government has asked the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing to consider shifting the proposed closure dates for the Third Mainland Bridge to a later date.
In a statement issued on Thursday by the State’s Commissioner
for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, the move is to avoid
compounding the traffic situation in the state.
The commissioner expressed sadness over the difficulties faced
by motorists and commuters seeking the use of the Apapa-Oshodi highway and
other routes leading to the ports.
He blamed the renewed congestion on the recalcitrance of owners
and drivers of tankers and trucks to fully comply with the subsisting directive
that restricts their movement within the State.
He linked the situation to the ongoing industrial action by a
section of workers at the Apapa ports which has slowed down the pace of goods
clearance as well as the slow pace of repair works on the roads leading to the
ports, most of which are federal roads.
He explained that the State Police Command and the Lagos State
Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) have been directed to flood the affected
areas with sufficient officers to further control traffic and bring sanity to
bear “on this hectic situation so as to bring immediate succour to our people.”
The Commissioner said, that “the State Government would urge
the and others leading in and out of the ports are experiencing an
unusual, albeit, temporary traffic snarl.
“It is indeed pathetic that private firms seeking to make a
profit from legitimate commerce would continue to subject the citizens of Lagos
State to horrendous pains inspite of the provision of holding bays for their
trucks and tankers until it is their turn to pick goods at the ports,”.
He added that the recent rehabilitation of the truck parked at
Orile Iganmu, with the capacity to take 3,000 trucks shows the commitment of
the Akinwunmi Ambode administration to find a lasting solution to the enormous
challenge posed by the indiscriminate use of the highways by articulated
vehicles.
According to the Commissioner, the government had hoped that,
with the unfortunate loss of lives and property to destruction caused by tanker
explosions and truck mishaps, the conscience of the haulage stakeholders would
be pricked sorely enough to save Lagosians from the threat of carnage on the
highways by adhering to directives and also investing in truck terminals
themselves.
He, however, noted that the State Government would not allow its
highways turned to death traps while urging speedy delivery of the roads under
reconstruction within the axis and full computerisation of the port’s
operations in order to save the State from this incessant but avoidable
hardship.
“If the powers of the State is inadequate to force these
powerful merchants to obey the law, shall we also say that the Federal
Government with all the forces at its command, is unable to protect residents
of Lagos against this common threat?”
He called on Lagosians to exercise patience, noting that
President Muhammadu Buhari had assured Lagos State that the Federal Government
would tackle this matter decisively, the latest hardship makes the much-needed
intervention extremely imperative.
The Commissioner expressed regrets that ongoing rehabilitation
of roads in Apapa and its environs and the efforts towards sanitizing truck
entry procedures have pushed the trucks to other parts of the city all because
the haulage operators have continued to illegally turn major roads to parks
thereby using public facilities to increase their private profit.
“We therefore once again call on the Federal Government to save
Lagosians by assisting to enforce the rule that all haulage operators must have
designated parks immediately, while we continue to solicit the understanding
and cooperation of the general public.”
CR: Channels TV
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