Apapa Traffic: ANLCA Commends NPA on transit park

Abiola Seun

The Vice President, Association of Nigerian Licence Customs Agents (ANLCA), Kayode Farinto has commended the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) for the creation of a Truck Transit Park (TTP) that aided the decongestion of the port access road.

This was in response to the Federal Government directive that trucks drivers that parked along Apapa Lagos road to vacate within 72 hours

The Federal Government had sought the involvement of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) to assist in the implementation of the Presidential Order issued for trucks to vacate ports’ access roads within 72 hours.

Adding that the vacation would help in clearing the Apapa gridlock and help in restoring law and order to Apapa and its environs.

In a telephone chat with our reporter, the Vice President, Association of Nigerian Licence Customs Agents (ANLCA), Kayode Farinto commended the rapid response of NPA to the directive but however urged the government to allow the directive to be carried out holistically to allow petrol laden tankers and articulated vehicles to vacate the port road.

According to him, “Firstly, I will commend the Federal government for removing the Navy from traffic management.

“I also want to commend NPA for having the truck park and with this, I don’t know why truck drivers will insist on parking on the shoulders of the road.

“it’s a good development because I believe we are not in a lawless country so government should take charge.

“Also, the government should do the needful by repairing the roads and resurface them. The government should put them in good shape so that they can have the effrontery of arresting erring truck for parking indiscriminately.

“They should also make the trailer parks very cheap for the truck drivers to park their vehicles. it should be a holding bay for trucks and a temporary solution.

“it shouldn’t be turn into a parking lot where vehicles are abandoned. like I said, its a welcome development, truck drivers should learn to obey laws of the land because it’s embarrassing to see that truck have taken over the roads leading to the ports with them parking indiscriminately.

“And I also hope that tanker owners and drivers will comply because government is not telling us whether they are also involved in the directives.

“Because, the complaints have always been articulated trucks moving goods from the port, what about tankers? are they going to be affected or they are exempted? the directive should be holistic so that there would be sanity on the port road,” he said.