AMAECHI PROPOSES STEERING COMMITTEE TO OVERCOME APAPA GRIDLOCK CHALLENGES

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has proposed the setting up of a steering committee to seat monthly until the Apapa gridlock challenges were overcome.

The media assistant to the minister, Mrs Taiye Elebiyo-Edeni, said the minister made this known during a meeting with Maritime Stakeholders and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) in Lagos.

Amaechi, however, said the steering committee should be headed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Magdalene Ajani and seat monthly until the challenges were overcome.

Other members of the committee would be from the Nigerian Ports Authority, Nigerian Shippers Council, MWUN, Road Safety and the Lagos State Government.

“The issue of traffic on these routes is because in Nigeria, we don’t discipline people. People do whatever they like even when it’s wrong because there is no consequence for our actions. We need security officers to enforce compliance on truck blocking the road”.

The minister directed the committee to write to the Inspector-General of Police for officers for the assignment.

“The security personnel are expected to ensure that no vehicle parks along the road.

“We need to talk to shippers and traders especially those around Warri to see how they can be using Warri port so that Lagos Ports will be decongested. We can get security to follow the cargoes to that area so that traders from Aba, and Onitsha that are ready to use that port can go there.”

Recall, the union had threatened to go on strike if the government failed to address the gridlock on the route.‌

The Deputy Secretary-General of MWUN, Abudu Eroje, said letters would be sent to all relevant stakeholders with an ultimatum on when all trucks must leave the road back to their various parks.

The union had scheduled a strike action because of the hardship workers faced every day trying to go to work because of the gridlock.