Apapa Traffic: Truck Owners Dispel Bribery Allegation Against Presidential Taskforce

Abiola Seun

Truck owners operating at the Mile 2-Tin Can Port axis of the Oshodi-Apapa expressway have denied bribery allegation against the Presidential taskforce on the decongestion of the port access roads.

This was even as they called on security agencies to probe the activities of those who levelled the allegations.

Addressing newsmen over the weekend in Apapa, the truck owners accused the petitioners of being the mastermind of alleged unbridled extortion of truckers before the creation of the Task Team on Apapa gridlock, under the leadership of Dr Kayode Opeifa.

The spokesperson of the truck owners at the Tin Can/ Mile 2 axis; Salami Ismail said the petition was against the articulated vehicles owners operating on the axis. It also against the Presidential Task Team, he added.

Salami disclosed that, the petition was borne out of the task team putting an end to illegal funds by dealing directly with genuine truck owners in the task of ensuring that the two main access into Apapa are free of vehicular traffic.

He accused those behind the petition, which alleged that the truck owners were collecting money, of crying because they have lost the illegal means of sustaining their ostentatious life style, prior to the coming of the Presidential team.

He said further that, those behind the petition are “truck pushers”, that is middlemen, who do not have trucks, but only seek to assist genuine truck owners to gain access into the port for a fee, a practice that has ended with the intervention of the Presidential task team.

The truck owners’ spokesperson claimed that, the petition written by one Mr Aroyewun Adeyinka and other individuals is false and a deliberate attempt to rubbish the tremendous effort of the Presidential Task Team.

According to him, “the petition is borne out of frustration due to the dismantling of the criminal activities of middlemen called “truck pushers” by the Presidential Task Force. The inauguration of the Presidential Task Team has been a game changer for easy movement of trucks to and from the ports”.

He alleged that, “before the inauguration of the Presidential Task Team, these petitioners who were active in the haulage sector as “truck pushers” usually extort truck owners to the tune of N150,000 per truck before access is given to trucks to proceed to the ports”.

According to him, “the Truck Owners Mile-2/Tin Can Axis, after almost being sent out of business due to the exorbitant fees charged by these middlemen “truck pushers”, protested vehemently and raised valid objections to their criminal acts and conducts before the Presidential Task Team”, which reportedly investigated the allegations and corroborated the position of truck owners, hence the dismantling of the exploitative network of these “truck pushers”.

Editing by ‘Biodun Soyele