APAPA TRAFFIC: Fashola Trade-blames, Lampoons Federal Agencies For Gridlock

RETURN TO SANITY? Free-flowing traffic at Tin Can
 Island Port ‘First ‘ bust stop, yesterday

• Stakeholders Commend Governor Over Free-flowing Traffic

Lagos state governor; Babatunde Fashola has shifted the blame for the debilitating traffic at Apapa to Federal Government agencies at the ports, saying lack of coordination among the agencies is largely responsible for the problem.
Fashola spoke last Sunday when he paid another assessment visit to Apapa; he particularly blamed respective federal agencies for subjecting Apapa people to untold hardship.
He urged the Federal Government to take responsibility for its facilities within Apapa; especially the ports and expressway.
“This is clearly a multi-agency problem. Probably, many agencies of the Federal Government are not talking to one another or not coordinating. As a result, people in Lagos, particularly in Apapa, are at the receiving end”, he acknowledged.Empatising, he admitted that “it has been very uncomfortable experiences in their various offices and homes. As you can see, it has become difficult to remove refuse. I do not know why a country can treat its commercial capital like this. I do not know what kind of leadership continues to allow this kind of eyesore in Apapa and its environs.
“But clearly, we have heard from those who know the business that if NNPC, for example, pumps to Ibadan and oil depots, this place will decongest. So, why are they not doing it?
That is one issue. If the federal ministry of works comes to take over and repair its roads like Creek Road, Apapa-Oshodi and TinCan Island, clearly people living and working in this area will feel some relief.
The reality is that once there is congestion in one part, it falls back and locks everybody in. The problem is not what is in Apapa. It is also about what is on TinCan Island as well.
Expreesing shock at how deeply Apapa has deteriorated, the Governor noted that: You will see even the bridge coming into Apapa now is threatened. It is just incomprehensible to me. I have never seen a country that behaves like this in its commercial capital”.
He also took a swipe at the port concession policy which brought the private terminals operators in and which increased cargo throughput, without providing for super structures that will handle the upsurge, he said: “Concessioning of the ports is more than signing papers. It requires people to make investment. We have heard some of the problems. For example, the cargo-handling equipment is absolutely in short supply. What they have are only two cargo handling equipment to about 40 trucks.
We have heard that it will be easier to do spot checking and clearance for all the trucks so that they go in batches of 20. Certainly, somebody in NPA or in the ports prefers to do it one at a time at the gate.
”There are, perhaps, some financial benefits in doing that. But why will anybody not make things efficient except there is a personal benefit? These are all federal representatives, who manage the ports; who manage distribution of fuel from the ports and who manage the Tin Can Island.
Meanwhile, one of our correspondents reported that, traffic into Apapa from the Mile 2 axis yesterday was a bit better than in the previous weeks. According to him, traffic was freer from Mile 2, the problem started from Sunrise bus stop, where petroleum tank farms are located. He reported that, unlike in the last few weeks, trucks waiting to load products took one lane on the expressway.
He confirmed that his trip from Cele Bus stop to Coconut bus stop took about 30 minutes, a great improvement over the two and half hours such distance took last week.
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