President Muhammadu Buhari has
issued a-72 hour ultimatum to truck drivers that parked along Apapa, Lagos road
to vacate.
The President noted that the
vacation would help in clearing the Apapa gridlock and help in restoring law
and order to Apapa and its environs.
The vacation notice was issued
today as one of the outcomes of a meeting convened by President Buhari and
chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the 25th of April, 2019.
Truck drivers going into the
Lagos port have turned every road and street to parking space. This has been
one of the major cause of traffic in the state. The truck drivers have
consistently ignored the warning by the Lagos State Government to vacate the
road. Some of the drivers also bribe Police Officers, Soldiers and Naval
Officers who work with thugs in the area to allow them to park on the roads.
The notice issued by the
President reads, “A Presidential directive has been issued for the immediate
clearing up of the Apapa gridlock and the restoration of law and order to Apapa
and its environs within 2 weeks.
“The directive mandates the
immediate removal of all trucks from the bridges and roads within Apapa and all
adjoining streets leading into the Apapa axis.
“To facilitate this important
assignment, operators of trucks and tankers have also been directed to vacate
the Port Access Roads within the next 72 hours.
“The meeting proffered lasting
solutions to the gridlock around the Lagos Ports, as the traffic congestion has
continued to restrict all operations and livelihood in the area.”
A Presidential Taskforce, chaired
by Osinbajo was established to ensure the restoration of law and order to the
area within two weeks.
The Taskforce, "will report
directly to the President, has included on its Terms of Reference the
development of an efficient and effective management plan for the entire port
area traffic, including the cargo, fuel distribution and business district
traffic; enforcing the permanent removal of all stationary trucks on the
highway, and the development of an effective manual truck call-up system,
pending the introduction of the electronic truck call-up system and the
implementation of a workable Empty Container Return and Export Container Truck
Handling Policy, amongst others."
Members of the task force include
Kayode Opeifa, former Commissioner of Transport in Lagos State, as the
Executive Vice Chairman; a representative of the Presidential Enabling Business
Environment Council (PEBEC); Nigerian Ports, and the Nigerian Shippers' Council
(NSC).
At the meeting were key heads and
representatives of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of
government, including Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister of Power, Works and
Housing; Mohammed Adamu, Inspector General of Police; Rear Admiral B.E.E
Ibe-Enwo, representative of the Chief of Nigerian Navy Staff; Salaam Taiwo
Olufemi, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transportation; and
Sokonte Davies, Executive Director, Marine and Operations of Nigerian Ports;
among others.
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