Apapa Gridlock: Operators in war of words over port congestion as Sanwo-Olu visits area again

· LASG to take over presidential taskforce operation

· To report misconduct of licensees to Amaechi, IGP

STAKEHOLDERS operating within and around the seaports in the Apapa area yesterday engaged in war of words following an unscheduled fact-finding visit by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday.

The visit, which is the fourth by the governor and members of the state cabinet to the ports environs (Wharf and TinCan respectively), is part of the state government’s commitment to support the Federal Government’s effort at finding a lasting solution to the perennial gridlock, which has impacted negatively on businesses and lives in the ports environs.

After physically assessing the traffic situation, the governor revealed that several factors are responsible for the congestion. A blame game, however, ensued among stakeholders operating within and around the area.

While the Committee of Freight Forwarders and Maritime Truckers (COFFAMAT) blamed the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) officials, the Presidential Taskforce on Port Decongestion (PTPD) and the police for corruption that allowed truck drivers to park indiscriminately on the road, the Council of Maritime Transport Union and Association (COMTUA) absolved the police and the Taskforce, accusing COFFAMAT, truck drivers and other stakeholders of not playing by the rules.

A customs licensed clearing and forwarding agent, Boniface Okoye, blamed the Nigerian Customs for giving undue access to the shippers’ council to leave empty containers in the port areas. He also accused the police of looking away after allegedly collecting kickbacks.

Following the accusation and counter-accusation, Governor Sanwo-Olu intimated the stakeholders of the state government’s readiness to checkmate the activities of all operators that had led to the problems being experienced in the area.

He wondered why container-laden trucks not yet called upon for loading in the ports were indiscriminately parked on newly rehabilitated TinCan Road, instead of moving into the approved terminal provided by the government.

  The governor disclosed that part of the steps being taken by the State Government to restore sanity back to the area is to take over operations of the Presidential Taskforce on Port Decongestion and create a new operational template for the task force, which will be enforced by a combined team of officers of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the police.

His words: “This is about the fourth time which my government has been trying to address Apapa gridlock and bring sanity back to the area. On each occasion we had come here, we knew that there were road constructions. This time around, there has been a lot of improvement and we have seen that a lot of the roads within Apapa have been completed. But, there has been no respite for commuters in terms of free traffic flow.

“Our plan is to bring about cohesive system where all stakeholders would understand their roles and resolve challenges being encountered. Since last year, the Presidential Taskforce has been working on this issue. Now, there is a process that is starting in which the State Government is taking over the task force. This is one of the reasons for this trip to Apapa today; to ascertain what needs to be done. We will have a team of policemen and LASTMA dedicated to Apapa Ports for enforcement of task force’s mandates.”

Speaking further, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the visit to the ports would be followed up with stakeholders’ engagement with NPA, shipping companies’ owners and freight forwarders, stressing that a situation where truck drivers needed to wait for about 10 hours for handing over of operation from one NPA team to another was not acceptable.”

The governor also said that the sharp practices and inadequacies observed in the handling of container operations at the ports would be escalated to the Minister of Transport, while the misconducts of policemen stationed close to the ports would be reported to the Inspector General of Police (IGP).

 “Lagos State Government is not the owner of the ports, whose operations is causing pain to residents, but we owe a duty to our citizens whose lives and businesses have been badly impacted because of the gridlocks created in this part of the State. I believe this trip would give us another opportunity where all of us, as stakeholders, will be able to identify impediments and resolve the issues once and for all,” he stated.

Sanwo-Olu said it was time the arm of the law caught up with those who had created the situation that led to the chaotic movements of container-laden trucks in and out of the ports. He added, “We have arrested people we felt were operating illegal barge terminals before, but we were surprised some of these people had licenses issued by the Federal Government. This is part of the issues we want to resolve. We are working collaboratively with the Federal Government on this. If someone gets an approval for barge operation, let Lagos Government be aware, so that roads are probably planned to those terminals.”