The Visible Strides of Presidential Task Force On Apapa Traffic: How Far, So Far

By Dapo Olawuni |

The Presidential Task Force on Apapa Traffic was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on May 24th 2019 with a mandate to decongest Apapa ports of articulated trucks and traffic congestion.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was the Chairman of the committee while Mr Kayode Opeifa is the Executive Vice Chairman of the committee.

Membership of the team is drawn from the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigerian Shippers Council.

Other members include a special unit of the Nigeria Police Force led by a Commissioner of Police, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), representatives of the Truck Transport Union, the Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), and other relevant MDAs.

Since it commenced operations two weeks ago, a lot of testimonies have been coming from truck drivers who commended the effort of the president for putting an end to their extortion in the hands of security agencies who laid siege at various checkpoints collecting bribe as much as N150,000 before allowing trucks into the port.

The truckers also craved for extension of the days of the committee, a request which was granted on Friday by the Vice President.

Apparently as a way of displaying solidarity to the assignment of the task force shipping companies at the Lagos ports announced that they are extending the the demurrage free period from the initial 5 days to 10 days.

Executive Secretary of Nigerian Shippers Council, Barr Hassan while addressing journalists in Apapa recently said there are a lot of sacrifices being made by the operators.

“NPA has been on the issue for a very long time. Shipping companies have also made sacrifice. They have extended the demurrage free days from five to ten days and they still could do better. We are expecting them to have 12 days demurrage free period for 90 days. I think that will also make people not come out at once to deposit the empty containers”

“Of course, the truckers; we need them to be disciplined. That is the human angle I am talking about because without discipline, we cannot achieve anything.”

Hassan Bello revealed that 54 private parks have been identified by the NSC, which includes the Lilypond truck park picked by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as terminals for truck, in a bid to ensure orderliness in Apapa and surrounding areas.

The Shippers Council boss said the long term goal of the federal government recent steps is to link the Tin Can Island Ports and the Apapa ports by rail.

Meanwhile, reviving the eastern ports is also a viable lasting solution to the Apapa traffic gridlock. To this end, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has announced a 10% discount in harbour dues for vessels calling at Eastern Ports.

Speaking with Nigeriamaritime360.com, Chairman of International Freight Forwarders Association of Nigeria (IFFA) at PTML chapter, Mr. Sunny Nnebe commended the presidential gridlock, saying that the task force are doing their best but that things has gone so bad before now.

“On mile 2 Tin Can road, the problem is beyond the task force as the situation is getting worse by the day, motorbikes even find it very difficult to access the road now while the failed portion’s are now death trap to trucks and pedestrians”

On his part, Chairman of Dry Cargo Section of National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) Alhaji Inuwa Muhammed said the task force has done a wonderful job within a short period.

“I can say they have done a wonderful job, within a short period they are able to restore sanity along Western avenue,Eko bridge,Costain, stadium,Orile and the Apapa Oshodi Expressway where trucks formed 4 lines formerly let say from Ijesha inward Mile 2, it has now clear up leaving the trucks to maintain one single line and allowed free movement of other road users.

“I think this is a commendable success within that short time, in fact, as for me I give them 65 to 70 % in terms of their achievement record”

Also speaking, another port user, Mr Olumide Fakanlu said that the situation in Apapa has improved tremendously compared to when the Navy was placed in charge of controlling the traffic.

Though he said the situation is “Not that 100% smooth, we can say 50% better than before. The roads still need repair or reconstruction. Also, the truck park are not yet enough”

On his part, a chieftain of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Ojo Akintoye said the final recipe for the traffic gridlock is the deployment of an efficient call up system at NPA truck park at Ijora and Tin Can Port.

He said “There has been a lot of improvement, and Kayode Opeifa being the Vice Chairman of the task force knows the terrain of Apapa very well and he has been doing his best. The glaring fact is that there is no way you can remove the trucks completely from the road, so what the committee has succeeded doing is to form a single lane for them and gave them a boundary where they must stop. Any truck that goes beyond that boundary would be towed”

“So the single lane has given an access for us that work in Apapa to move freely anytime of the day, something happened in Apapa about three days ago that took me to Apapa around 11.30 pm, but I can tell you that I moved freely, it was unbelievable”

“My initial fear was that wherever I stopped in traffic, I would abandon my car and take a bike, but at that time, I got access from my house to Area B and to the port”

“In removing the trucks from the road completely, the call up system by the Nigerian Ports Authority has to be deployed at Ijora truck park and the Tin Can Island truck park”

“Immediately the call up system is done, thousands of trucks would be taken away from the roads” he said