Apapa gridlock, economic threat to South West, Nigeria

The incessant gridlock on Apapa Expressway in Lagos State is posing a serious threat to the economy of the region and that of Nigeria as a whole.

The South-West Governors’ Forum in a communiqué at the end of its quarterly meeting on Monday in Osogbo, Osun State, therefore urged the Federal Government to urgently find a lasting solution to the problem.

It said the region expressed great concerns about the situation and that FG should intervene by creating alternative routes as permanent solution to the gridlock.

The communiqué said the goods from the ports, which usually took few days to get to the hinterland, now take months due to the gridlock.

The forum also urged Federal Government to collaborate with Lagos Government in reviving alternative routes linking Tin Can Island through Tomoro Island via Ibafo in Ogun State.

The communiqué also said that the Nigeria Railway Corporation should be engaged as an alternative means to alleviate the gridlock.

It further advised that the Federal Government should enhance the capacity of NRC to use rail facility to evacuate goods from the port to alternative terminals from the Apapa area, thereby supporting the road decongestion process.

The communiqué urged the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria Commission to engage the necessary institutions and development partners in accessing soil features of the region as an imperative to boosting agricultural potentials of western Nigeria.

Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State was represented by his Deputy, Mrs. Idiat Adebule; while his Oyo counterpart, Governor Abiola Ajimobi was represented by his Deputy, Mr. Moses Adeyemo, at the meeting.

Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji; while Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State and his Ogun counterpart, Ibikunle Amosun, were absent and not represented at the meeting according to NAN report.