Lagos To Set Up Team To Take Over Control Of Apapa Gridlock

The Lagos State Government on Monday, said it would take over
traffic management from the Presidential Taskforce Team, in order
to restore sanity to the Apapa area.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said this during a fact-finding visit to
the Apapa Ports to ascertain the reason for the incessant
congestion in the port area, in spite of providing a park for the
articulated trucks.

Sanwo-Olu said that a special team would be set up by his
administration to takeover traffic management in the area.

He also said a stakeholders’ meeting, involving representatives
of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), haulage transport unions and
port operators, among others would be convened.

According to him, the meeting is to work out means of solving
the protracted traffic gridlock in Apapa, as well as having more
efficient, effective port operations in the general interest of the
public.

The governor decried the level of indiscipline among port
players and promised to tackle head-on, the menace of extortionist
tendencies levelled against security personnel in the Apapa
environs.

“This is not the first time, certainly not the second and in
fact this is about the third or the fourth time in my government,
that we are trying to see how we can bring an enduring solution to
the Apapa gridlock.

“On all of the times we have come, we knew that we are having a
road construction, but you can see now that inside Apapa, there is
significant progress. A lot of roads have been done.

“Today even being public holiday, it is even difficult for us to
say that we have achieved a 100 per cent traffic free flow into
Apapa,´´he said.

Sanwo-Olu added that there had been accusations over a cabal
collecting money from operators and there were also counter
accusations.

“You are aware that since last year the presidential task force
had been working. Now, there is a process that is starting, in
which the state government needs to take over that task force.

“One of the reasons for this trip is to start that process, to
see things for myself.

“The state government is to set up a seamless operation to have
a team of LASTMA about 400 to 500, dedicated to Apapa gridlock.

“To also have a team of policemen from Area B dedicated to the
same gridlock. Understand what the airport police command is doing,
because they are also part of the problem,´´ he said.

The Lagos State Government on Monday, said it would take over
traffic management from the Presidential Taskforce Team, in order
to restore sanity to the Apapa area.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said this during a fact-finding visit to
the Apapa Ports to ascertain the reason for the incessant
congestion in the port area, in spite of providing a park for the
articulated trucks.

Sanwo-Olu said that a special team would be set up by his
administration to takeover traffic management in the area.

He also said a stakeholders’ meeting, involving representatives
of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), haulage transport unions and
port operators, among others would be convened.

According to him, the meeting is to work out means of solving
the protracted traffic gridlock in Apapa, as well as having more
efficient, effective port operations in the general interest of the
public.

The governor decried the level of indiscipline among port
players and promised to tackle head-on, the menace of extortionist
tendencies levelled against security personnel in the Apapa
environs.

“This is not the first time, certainly not the second and in
fact this is about the third or the fourth time in my government,
that we are trying to see how we can bring an enduring solution to
the Apapa gridlock.

“On all of the times we have come, we knew that we are having a
road construction, but you can see now that inside Apapa, there is
significant progress. A lot of roads have been done.

“Today even being public holiday, it is even difficult for us to
say that we have achieved a 100 per cent traffic free flow into
Apapa,´´he said.

Sanwo-Olu added that there had been accusations over a cabal
collecting money from operators and there were also counter
accusations.

“You are aware that since last year the presidential task force
had been working. Now, there is a process that is starting, in
which the state government needs to take over that task force.

“One of the reasons for this trip is to start that process, to
see things for myself.

“The state government is to set up a seamless operation to have
a team of LASTMA about 400 to 500, dedicated to Apapa gridlock.

“To also have a team of policemen from Area B dedicated to the
same gridlock. Understand what the airport police command is doing,
because they are also part of the problem,´´ he said.