Lagos government to engage NPA, Shippers Council to resolve Apapa gridlock

Segun Oladipupo ~

The Lagos State ,Governor ,Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Friday that his administration would continuously engage the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Nigerian Ports Authority(NPA) and other maritime stakeholders, in order to achieve a sustained resolution on the Apapa gridlock .

Sanwo Olu also admitted that governing Lagos is not a tea party, as the experience and challenges are real.

He said that clearing of the Apapa gridlock was work in progress, as efforts were being made to solve the problem.

The governor who spoke with State House correspondents after a private meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja lamented that governing the state is not an easy task, adding that he has lost weight in just one week of assuming office.

“It is not a tea party; you don’t sleep and wake up and the traffic has gone down; you don’t sleep and wake up and there is no rain or say that you have resolved Apapa gridlock; it’s real.

“So, it is something that one has psychologically prepared for; the best thing you can do, is to make sure that you are not about looking for what the other person did.

“It is for Lagosians to see you do what you promised to do for them.

And if you don’t do it from your office; you have to do it on the road; you have to do it where the issues are, so that people will truly know that you mean business.

“ In one week, I will say I have lost weight; I will probably still lose a bit more, but I think it is worth the job.

“ It is also important to ensure that you have the right team; people that will also support you; so, when as a leader you can show that leadership support, then the message itself trickles down and trickles very well,” he said.