The truckers under the auspices of the Joint Council of Seaport Truckers (JCOST) has given kudos to the Commissioner of Police Lagos State, Mr. Fatai Owoseni for his concerted efforts at arresting the gridlock that has become synonymous with Apapa and which had defied solution over the years.
Speaking in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos on Friday, the Secretary of JCOST, Mr. Godwin Ikeji stated that the CP had succeeded where others including the Ports Authority Police Command and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) had failed through their various task forces.
Ikeji also noted the fact that the throughput in the ports had been down leading to less pressure on the roads by the tanker drivers and truckers as well.
According tohim,” Infact, I have to give kudos to the CP Lagos State. It was a concerted effort of the Lagos command of the Nigerian Police that was able to do what Port command has not been able to do for years through their LAPAC, LAPAMU and all the rest of them.
“The CP, he is a gentleman, we met with him, he said he will do it and through collective efforts, everybody can see now and another thing I will warn you about this very situation is this, the economy is down, the throughput is down, the pressure is no more on the road as it used to be. The tanker drivers, they have less business so also our people. But then, there is a little orderliness”{.
He chided NPA for paying lip service to the problems caused by the gridlock adding that the authority had nothing to offer if not to harp on money even as he disclosed that NPA has said that it would start towing vehicles for N20, 000.00 wondering what facilities had been put in place inside the ports by NPA.
“But look at this state, they felt this is their responsibility, that there should be free access and they came out for it. The CP Lagos state is at Ikeja, he is not in the port but the day he came here, we applauded him and we will support him”, he said.
On what the truckers will do so as to sustain the gains so far made on the Apapa roads, he said,” We have bought into the idea totally and we keep telling our people to sustain the tempo. We are enjoying it. As long as the terminal operators are doing their part, if container can leave here and fall in line and by tomorrow morning you enter and drop your empty container and come out. We buy the idea, we are not agents of disorderliness”.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Tincan Island Chapter, Alhaji Isiaka Olalere commended the efforts of the Lagos state Commissioner of Police and that of the Commissioner of Police in-charge of the ports saying that both commands teamed up and put up a committee that did the marvelous job on the Apapa roads in collaboration with the truckers having supported the idea.
“Only our union cannot do it because the people are more afraid of people who are in uniform and bear arms. We know how we control our drivers but those who are benefiting from the gridlock are there and are trying to frustrate our efforts anytime we want to tackle the problem.
“But these people came and wiped out everything and it is working. Even the Commissioner of Police Lagos state came and met with us and asked us how we could sustain it and we promised him that Insha Allah, we are going to sustain it and the road is free now.
The RTEAN boss expressed happiness over the development recalling that he had not been coming to work with his car but of recent, he was able to enter a bus from Oshodi and dropped in front of his office which according to him had not been happening in the last two or three years where one had to park his vehicle at Mile 2 and board a bike which he said had killed many ports users owing to the inability of those driving those bikes to observe traffic rules.
He therefore expressed the hope that the free flow of traffic would be sustained for a longer time to saying that all hands must be on deck to make sure they sustain it.
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