The Nation Newspaper

Category: Transportation

  • Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge: A spanner in the works?

    A mild tremor on the speed train corridor and a few adjustments to the project may alter the government’s plan to roll out the trains for commercial activity on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge in October, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    When the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Chairman, Mallam Ibrahim Alhassan, led members of the board on a tour of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge penultimate week, all they saw was that the Corporation appeared set for eventual roll out of commercial activity latest by October.

    But that expectation may be threatened, unless the contractor rises up to the latest challenge that has confronted the project. An earth tremor that occurred at DK 44 (Kilometre 44), at a village under Ifo Local Government, last week, may throw a spanner in the works and threaten the integrity of the project.

    The Federal Ministry of Transport (FMOT) was visibly agitated by the development and its Permanent Secretary, Mr Sabiu Zakari, last Friday led a monitoring team to assess the impact of the incident.

    Although the rail tracks were not affected, the tremor was powerful enough to have created a huge gorge that shifted the protective wall, thus posing a potential threat to the tracks if not urgently addressed. The quake also exposed the pipeline that passed through the area.

    By the time Zakari’s team visited the site, the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), had provided an engineering solution to cage the raging threat. A double-layered precast embankment was being constructed to check the threat, with the Permanent Secretary expressing satisfaction.

    “Our engineers and our supervising consultants have seen what the contractor has done and certified it okay. With this solution we are sure that the tremor has been put under check and would not be of any threat to this project whether now or in the near future,” Zakari said.

    He described the tremor as one of the unforeseen exigencies that occur on a project of such magnitude. He expressed satisfaction that the contractor has been able to provide a solution to protect the project and the rail line’s integrity.

    Zakari was, however, evasive when asked whether the development was capable of disrupting the planned take-off of commercial activity by October. He disclosed that the government was determined to ensure that it delivered a project that meets the best standard anywhere in the world.

    According to him, the contractor cannot be hastened to rail-road the project just because the government wants to meet its set deadline. “We have to choose between doing the job well and meeting our deadline.”

    The tremor, he said, was the least expected  the project. “I am sure that we never anticipated an earth tremor,” he said, adding that besides the tremor, the team visited to assess the impact of the proposed alteration to the Abeokuta train station.

    On the said station, he disclosed that though an elevator (lift) has been provided to be installed at the station, the contractor and government’s consultants are proposing an escalator instead to be constructed because of the anticipated passenger traffic. “We have therefore, come to see how this could be accommodated within the project,” he said.

    Mallam Alhassan disclosed that the corporation would rather deliver a project that meets global standards in safety precautions than to rush at delivering a project of doubtful integrity.

    “We  were shocked when we learnt that a tremor had occurred at a section of the project, and we are happy that the contractor is already providing an engineering solution that would arrest it,” Alhassan said, adding that all hands are on deck to ensure that the project meets the expectation of all.

    NRC Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, however, assured that the incident may not affect the corporation’s plans to roll out commercial activity in October.

    Okhiria in an interview said: “With the two tracks now at kilometre 157, attention is back in Lagos, where we would want to ensure that we speed up the activity and link the speed train to Ebute Metta and from there to the Apapa Ports.”

    According to him, the contractor would be embarking on the construction of the tracks and the stations simultaneously, adding that “the construction company has assured that it would deliver on the three critical stations latest by December.”

    The two critical stations on the corridor, according to Okhiria, are Ebute Metta, Abeokuta and Ibadan. He added that the remaining seven minor ones would be delivered later.

    The express track gauge is designed to have 10 ultra-modern train stations, all of which have park and ride facilities. While four of these are in Lagos corridor; (Apapa, Ebute-Metta, Agege, Agbado), three are in Ogun State (Kajola, Papalanto, Abeokuta), and the remaining are in Oyo State (Olodo, Omi-Adio and Ibadan).

    The project lost much ground first to natural elements such as rains and the government’s inability to fully secure its right of way early. Almost the whole of last year was used to settle issues of right of way, especially in the Lagos corridor, forcing the contractor to shift attention to the forest between Lagos-Abeokuta and Abeokuta- Ibadan. This forced the contractor to deploy a four-gang segmentation method to execute the project.

    With the project reaching its last leg in Ibadan and the prospect of taking off getting clearer, the Federal Government is still struggling to compensate those whose properties were on the right of way, especially on the Lagos end.

    Due to its built up environment, establishing the right of way in Lagos, according to a top NRC source, was problematic. There were such as water main, gas and petroleum products pipelines, bridges (at Costain and Yaba) and hundreds of structures, from Iju to Apapa, including the Tejuosho International Market at Yaba.

    Also problematic was the relocation of affected public institutions such as the Nigerian Army Ordinance Corps at Alagomeji, Yaba, NRC Lagos District headquarters and staff quarters and a number of public institutions such installations as churches, mosques, firms and industrial concerns, forcing the committee to recommend that Lagos should be the last to be fixed.

    The project Manager Leo Yin, said the CCECC is determined to work round these challenges and deliver a project that would marvel Nigerians.

    Yin said: “The CCECC is determined to deliver world-class speed train system to Nigerians.”

    Though the stations might take longer, there is no doubt that a new narrative of Nigeria’s transportation architecture with the rail as its main artery would soon be here.

    Not only would this signal the emergence of new cities along the railway corridor, it also promises to have a massive effect on transportation patterns, especially in Lagos, where the 90 per cent of all containerised movements would be made by rail as well as 80 per cent of all liquid haulage.

    This will result in more sanity on the roads which are facing gradual lock-down due to the massive gridlocks in the city state.

    But more importantly is the opportunity for new housing stocks as more and more workers, traders and artisans may opt to live in contiguous states while still working in Lagos.

    With a speed train calibrated at 150 kilometres per hour, Ibadan to Lagos can then be achieved within an hour, while Abeokuta to Lagos can be done within 30 minutes. Nigerians are already upbeat about this huge possibility and are looking forward to it.

    One of such is Olatunji Michael, a business executive, who is already making preparations to mark his birthday in November on the speed train.

    “I have keenly followed the developments and happenings on the Lagos-Ibadan speed train and I was doubly happy when I learnt that commercial activity would be flagged off on the train in October. This made me to start planning to celebrate my birthday this year on the train. I will really love to take my family on the train ride to Ibadan and back. My wife and daughter are already planning of cutting my birthday cake with other travelers on board on the train, it would be much fun,” he said.

    Such possibilities as Michael’s are the immense opportunities that might be unlocked by the Lagos-Ibadan speed train.

  • Greater collaboration in maritime security and trade, key to Africa determining its destiny

    Despite the seismic shocks of globalisation which offer both opportunities and threats to the global marketplace, African challenges have always required African solutions.

    The continent’s public and private sectors have a shared role to play in this process, maintaining our economic potential by securitising our natural resources and citizenries against threats foreign and domestic.

    Critical to this mission, not only must Africa’s naval forces work closely together, share in local knowledge and capacities to bolster our coastlines’ territorial integrity but so too must the business community support these efforts by creating a conducive climate for localised manufacturing and production, rapidly expanding industrialisation in doing so.

    It was a great honour and privilege to lend our support during the 60th Anniversary of the Ghanaian Navy and participate at what was the inaugural International Maritime Defense Exhibition & Conference (IMDEC), held in Accra.

    I personally took the opportunity to commend the Ghanaian Navy’s visionary leadership in building a fleet that has the capability, technologies and resources to meet the modern challenges of the 21st century while emphasizing during my address the need for greater dialogue, cooperation and industialisation by African naval forces in the years to come and certainly the private sector’s role in this process.

    IMDEC, which drew together 14 Chiefs of Navy from across the continent, was an important opportunity to highlight the critical role that they continue to play in building a safer and more prosperous Africa. And clearly, on the backdrop of the recently established African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement, one which would serve to create the world’s largest ‘free trade zone’, hosting a combined GDP of $2.5 trillion, the stakes to protect our present resources and future potential couldn’t be greater.

    For AfCFTA to succeed, for Africa to succeed, greater intra-African collaboration and in particular, strategic investment in indigenous security capacity-building which has proven to enhance job creation, high skills development and transfer, thusly improving economic conditions in country and today, cross border, is vital.

    Moreover, the partnerships that were on display at IMDEC along with the shared understanding of the need for continued inward investment in security is critical in the fight to protect the continent’s resources while ensuring sustainable and importantly, autonomous growth.

    I’m proud of the strong and lasting partnerships we’ve had the privilege to forge with navies across the continent. It is only through partnerships like this that governments can unlock the vast benefits of the Blue Ocean economy by creating indigenous and regional naval capabilities that will bolster local manufacturing, skills development and technology transfer.

    Manufacturing equipment and designing services and training to fight yesterday’s conflicts, or conflicts on other continents, is never going to contribute optimally to resolving Africa’s challenges in any lasting or decisive way; moreover, it leaves Africa tragically incapable to defend from exploitation, piracy, human and drug trafficking, bunkering and the myriad of threats of the modern day. The public and private sector must continue to find innovative solutions, invest in developing new technologies, equipment, services, training, and indeed partnerships that acutely understand the problem and design the solution.

    The results of this practice speak to the new definition of innovation – technologies and capabilities which are unprecedentedly sophisticated yet invariably more intuitive, efficient and cost-effective, with longer term benefits.

    Looking ahead, we already know the security challenges that will be with Africa for the foreseeable future. Others loom on the horizon, and we have to factor them into our thinking if we are to deal with them effectively.

    The threats to African potential, to our continent’s resources are real, for example. Vital coastal and intercontinental thruways such as the Gulf of Guinea have long been known as the “world’s piracy hot-spots”. Recorded piracy encounters in the region, collated by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported 72 attacks last year on vessels at sea between the Ivory Coast and Cameroon — up from 28 in 2014. Encounters that went unrecorded are suggested to be double this figure. Left unabated, bunkering and piracy in all of its forms dramatically hinders socioeconomic development.

    We are also aware, for instance, of the rapid demographic changes that are happening as we speak. Africa’s population is overwhelmingly young, and we are told the numbers will double to about 2 billion by 2050, and double again to around 4 billion by the end of the century. In addition, the effects of climate change and conflict situations means the number of migrants, internally displaced people, and refugees in Africa will continue to grow. Even if these predictions are only partially correct, they will have profound implications for the continent, and threaten to weaken the capacity of governments to protect and provide for their citizens.

    This is a global problem, not limited to Africa of course, but our continent is particularly vulnerable because of its sheer size; a continent surrounded by oceans, one which does not always have the institutional capacity to deal decisively with these problems.

    However, we must not allow these vulnerabilities nor conventional impediments to stand in the way of AfCFTA and our self-determined path to prosperity. Saying that we do not have sufficient budget, adequate infrastructure, or human resources, while understandable, means Africa will not be equal to the task. That is why we at Paramount Group have developed a highly successful model of portable manufacturing to promote localisation; technical and operational training programs to promote skills transfer and indigenous capacity; and innovative financing structures to enable our partner countries and regional organisations to create their own manufacturing industries to meet these growing requirements.

    In Ghana and Nigeria, we were privileged to pioneer localized production has created production and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) hubs in Nigeria and Ghana; we look forward to working alongside navies across Africa, heeding the call to drive indiuatrialsiation to enourmous benefit.

    We are conscious of the promise of Africa, and also of its challenges. We have worked closely with many African governments over the years, sharing their concerns and understanding the threats their people face, and have helped to find solutions they could afford and manage; we have developed advanced experience of peacekeeping operations and their requirements, of internal security needs, border management, combating human trafficking, and the smuggling of drugs and illegal small arms; anti-poaching operations and environmental protection; and all of the problems that face so many African countries.

    Now that the African Continental Free Trade Area has come into force and priority is rightly being placed on securing its potential, we at Paramount and throughout the business community, look forward to greater collaboration with African navies, with African governments, supporting the creation of local production hubs and prioritizing the implementation of smarter, innovative and indeed local strategies to seize the rising opportunities in manufacturing and industrialization that the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’ has created and with rapidity, increase the overall global security (and market competitiveness) of the continent in the process.

    What is clear to us is that Africa will never be in a position to take its destiny in its own hands until it can provide for its own security, and create a stable environment for its nations and their people to live and work in safety and in freedom. The mutual benefits of intra-African free movement, coupled with a strategic investment in greater collaboration and cost effective, Fourth Industrial Revolution-driven, localized manufacturing will lead to elevating Africa’s status in to rapid prosperity.

    Through closer collaboration, the establishment of industrial partnerships and working together to find African solutions to our local challenges, we can secure and build an African economy that will drive the welfare and prosperity of Africa’s people.

     

     

  • Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge: A spanner in the works?

    A mild tremor on the speed train corridor and a few adjustments to the project may alter the government’s plan to roll out the trains for commercial activity on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge in October, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    When the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Chairman, Mallam Ibrahim Alhassan, led members of the board on a tour of the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge penultimate week, all they saw was that the Corporation appeared set for eventual roll out of commercial activity latest by October.

    But that expectation may be threatened unless the contractor rises up to the latest challenge that has confronted the project. An earth tremor that occurred at DK 44 (Kilometre 44), at a village under Ifo Local Government, last week, may throw a spanner in the works and threaten the integrity of the project.

    The Federal Ministry of Transport (FMOT) was visibly agitated by the development and its Permanent Secretary, Mr Sabiu Zakari, last Friday led a monitoring team to assess the impact of the incident.

    Although the rail tracks were not affected, the tremor was powerful enough to have created a huge gorge that shifted the protective wall, thus posing a potential threat to the tracks if not urgently addressed. The quake also exposed the pipeline that passed through the area.

    By the time Zakari’s team visited the site, the contractor, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), had provided an engineering solution to cage the raging threat. A double-layered precast embankment was being constructed to check the threat, with the Permanent Secretary expressing satisfaction.

    “Our engineers and our supervising consultants have seen what the contractor has done and certified it okay. With this solution we are sure that the tremor has been put under check and would not be of any threat to this project whether now or in the near future,” Zakari said.

    He described the tremor as one of the unforeseen exigencies that occur on a project of such magnitude. He expressed satisfaction that the contractor has been able to provide a solution to protect the project and the rail line’s integrity.

    Zakari was, however, evasive when asked whether the development was capable of disrupting the planned take-off of commercial activity by October. He disclosed that the government was determined to ensure that it delivered a project that meets the best standard anywhere in the world.

    According to him, the contractor cannot be hastened to rail-road the project just because the government wants to meet its set deadline. “We have to choose between doing the job well and meeting our deadline.”

    The tremor, he said, was the least expected  the project. “I am sure that we never anticipated an earth tremor,” he said, adding that besides the tremor, the team visited to assess the impact of the proposed alteration to the Abeokuta train station.

    On the said station, he disclosed that though an elevator (lift) has been provided to be installed at the station, the contractor and government’s consultants are proposing an escalator instead to be constructed because of the anticipated passenger traffic. “We have therefore, come to see how this could be accommodated within the project,” he said.

    Mallam Alhassan disclosed that the corporation would rather deliver a project that meets global standards in safety precautions than to rush at delivering a project of doubtful integrity.

    “We  were shocked when we learnt that a tremor had occurred at a section of the project, and we are happy that the contractor is already providing an engineering solution that would arrest it,” Alhassan said, adding that all hands are on deck to ensure that the project meets the expectation of all.

    NRC Managing Director, Fidet Okhiria, however, assured that the incident may not affect the corporation’s plans to roll out commercial activity in October.

    Okhiria in an interview said: “With the two tracks now at kilometre 157, attention is back in Lagos, where we would want to ensure that we speed up the activity and link the speed train to Ebute Metta and from there to the Apapa Ports.”

    According to him, the contractor would be embarking on the construction of the tracks and the stations simultaneously, adding that “the construction company has assured that it would deliver on the three critical stations latest by December.”

    The two critical stations on the corridor, according to Okhiria, are Ebute Metta, Abeokuta and Ibadan. He added that the remaining seven minor ones would be delivered later.

    The express track gauge is designed to have 10 ultra-modern train stations, all of which have park and ride facilities. While four of these are in Lagos corridor; (Apapa, Ebute-Metta, Agege, Agbado), three are in Ogun State (Kajola, Papalanto, Abeokuta), and the remaining are in Oyo State (Olodo, Omi-Adio and Ibadan).

    The project lost much ground first to natural elements such as rains and the government’s inability to fully secure its right of way early. Almost the whole of last year was used to settle issues of right of way, especially in the Lagos corridor, forcing the contractor to shift attention to the forest between Lagos-Abeokuta and Abeokuta- Ibadan. This forced the contractor to deploy a four-gang segmentation method to execute the project.

    With the project reaching its last leg in Ibadan and the prospect of taking off getting clearer, the Federal Government is still struggling to compensate those whose properties were on the right of way, especially on the Lagos end.

    Due to its built up environment, establishing the right of way in Lagos, according to a top NRC source, was problematic. There were such as water main, gas and petroleum products pipelines, bridges (at Costain and Yaba) and hundreds of structures, from Iju to Apapa, including the Tejuosho International Market at Yaba.

    Also problematic was the relocation of affected public institutions such as the Nigerian Army Ordinance Corps at Alagomeji, Yaba, NRC Lagos District headquarters and staff quarters and a number of public institutions such installations as churches, mosques, firms and industrial concerns, forcing the committee to recommend that Lagos should be the last to be fixed.

    The project Manager Leo Yin, said the CCECC is determined to work round these challenges and deliver a project that would marvel Nigerians.

    Yin said: “The CCECC is determined to deliver world-class speed train system to Nigerians.”

    Though the stations might take longer, there is no doubt that a new narrative of Nigeria’s transportation architecture with the rail as its main artery would soon be here.

    Not only would this signal the emergence of new cities along the railway corridor, it also promises to have a massive effect on transportation patterns, especially in Lagos, where the 90 per cent of all containerised movements would be made by rail as well as 80 per cent of all liquid haulage.

    This will result in more sanity on the roads which are facing gradual lock-down due to the massive gridlocks in the city state.

    But more importantly is the opportunity for new housing stocks as more and more workers, traders and artisans may opt to live in contiguous states while still working in Lagos.

    With a speed train calibrated at 150 kilometres per hour, Ibadan to Lagos can then be achieved within an hour, while Abeokuta to Lagos can be done within 30 minutes. Nigerians are already upbeat about this huge possibility and are looking forward to it.

    One of such is Olatunji Michael, a business executive, who is already making preparations to mark his birthday in November on the speed train.

    “I have keenly followed the developments and happenings on the Lagos-Ibadan speed train and I was doubly happy when I learnt that commercial activity would be flagged off on the train in October. This made me to start planning to celebrate my birthday this year on the train. I will really love to take my family on the train ride to Ibadan and back. My wife and daughter are already planning of cutting my birthday cake with other travelers on board on the train, it would be much fun,” he said.

    Such possibilities as Michael’s are the immense opportunities that might be unlocked by the Lagos-Ibadan speed train.

  • Seven ways to beat, survive Lagos traffic

    Lagos is notorious for its traffic gridlock. There are so many cars on the roads from private cars, commercial buses (Danfo), taxis, the Keke NAPEP (tricycles) and motorcycles (Okada).

    The traffic would have been more bearable but for the addition of impatient drivers and riders, impatient pedestrians. A combination of all these factors really makes the heavy Lagos traffic unbearable.

    Sadly, a brief journey which shouldn’t last for long might end up taking you longer time to travel to and fro a destination within the city.

    But one thing about traffic in Lagos is that it occurs especially at specific times of the day and it can be unpredictable.

    So therefore, by observing the day-to-day flow of traffic, you can get to understand the best times to leave your location and get to your destination faster.

    Here are few tips on how to survive the traffic in Lagos:

    * Make sure to leave home early: This is how the traffic has defined the life of many Lagosians. The routine is leave early and arrive late to avoid and survive the gridlock.

    * Always listen to traffic radio/programmes: The Lagos State Government on May 29, 2012 launched the Lagos Traffic Radio 96.1FM to give Lagosians situation report on traffic. It offers information on alternative routes and locations where the gridlock is worse. They work in conjunction with the Lagos State Road Maintenance Agency (LASMA) and it is a reliable platform to get traffic information.

    * Always wind up your car windows: This is a safety tip to ward-off ‘snatch and run’ thieves. Traffic jams are the perfect cover for a lot of pickpockets who pretend to be beggars, or street hawkers.

    * You don’t always need to drive: For those who have the luxury of BRT buses around where they reside, it is advisable that you take public transport as an option. You actually don’t have to drive every day of the week.

    * Have an insight on when and where traffic builds up: It is very important to have a little knowledge of the times of day and week when traffic is at its peak this would go a long way.

    * Monitor the traffic situation on social media: There are some Twitter handles that provide authentic traffic updates daily, follow them and monitor their tweets religiously. With these updates, you can map your routes.

    * Shake your head to the melodious tune of your music player: When you’re stuck in traffic, staring in space while waiting for the line of vehicles in front of you move forward, you can occupy your mind with music while you wait. Great music will soothe you and reduce the mental stress you go through in traffic.

    In case you are stuck in the traffic, just relax. You’ll get home sooner or later. Anxiety or impatience won’t clear the roads or accelerate the vehicle.

  • Here comes ‘pleasure on wheels’conference coach

    The Federal Government is planning to unveil new services on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge rail line to make it more attractive. But that may affect projections for passengers, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    Have you been looking for a venue beyond the prying eyes of the public for your board meetings or conferences? Are you a politician looking for a venue for your strategy session? Why not try the rail?

    To the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), this is not only a possibility, the conference coach has  become a reality and it will be available to customers on demand  on the Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kaduna and Itakpe-Warri routes.

    The conference coach is a luxury on wheels, with a setting that can accommodate about 30 chairs, soothing lighting effect and communication systems. It is complete with a mini-bar, from where light snacks, breakfast or lunch can be served in a bespoke ambience, and a toilet facility, all tailored to serve those with eyes for luxury.

    NRC Chairman Alhaji Ibrahim Alhassan and the Managing Director Fidet Okhiria, an engineer, led the corporation’s new directors  to have the first feel of the conference coach, which was delivered last week.

    The board met CCECC, the contractor, and supervising consultants on board the train, rather than at its last destination at Ibadan.

    “With this coach, we intend to attract captains of industries and interested firms or politicians to have their board meetings, conferences or strategy sessions on the rail. The attraction is that it is exclusive and private,” Alhassan said.

    He said the NRC had brought this offering to the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge to complement the state’s position as the nation’s economic and commercial hub.

    “We envisaged that just as we are experiencing surge on the Abuja-Kaduna route, the Lagos-Ibadan route would be over-subscribed, and we want to break the bar of possibilities for anyone who could pay for extra comfort on the wheels,” he added.

    The conference coach is complemented by the VIP coach yet to be delivered, which has 24 adjustable or collapsible seats. “You may wish to rest, or just relax after your meeting, we have  Very Important Personalities (VIP) coach, with 24 collapsible seats, that can be collapsed into a bed. It can also be rotated to about 180 degrees, just to enjoy the scenery away from worries or pressures. It has a spa and massager bay, just for your comfort,” Alhassan further disclosed.

    Bolanle Adebayo, a business executive, said: “With the way the Nigerian super rich love luxurious lifestyle, it would not be long before exclusive meetings would be holding on the train and companies would be competing to have a taste of the offerings.”

    The NRC said no less than 60 coaches and 200 wagons have been ordered for the speed train transit. They will be driven by 30 locomotives. Also to be added to the rolling stock on the standard gauge are two Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) of 10 coaches each.

    Okhiria said the entire rolling stock, which are of various capacity, would not be tied to the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge, but  distributed to other routes to provide more services to Nigerians.

    “We intend to add more coaches to the Abuja-Kaduna route, so that we have more transit frequency on that route, and on the Itakpe-Warri route to boost mass speed train transportation,” Okhiria further stated.

    Abandonment

    The story of the standard gauge in Nigeria is a litany of abandonments, synonymous with what was then known as the white elephant projects – an euphemism for those projects that were not conceived to be completed by successive administrations.

    The first standard gauge could be said to have begun in 1983, when the Shehu Shagari-led administration conceived the Itakpe-Warri standard gauge as an industrial line to feed the Ajaokuta Steel Mills, which was meant to stimulate the metallurgical and steel industry.

    The dream of a commercial speed train system, however, took off in Nigeria under the late General Sani Abacha in 1995, when the engineering design and surveys of the standard gauge rail lines were carried out on the western and eastern rail corridors.

    Soon after Abacha, it was another lull as successive administrations simply abandoned the project, until the Obasanjo administration signed the contract for the development of the standard gauge rail line, and turned the sod on the construction of the Abuja-Kaduna rail line.

    It was the Goodluck Jonathan administration that provided the cash backing for the project and Nigeria was put on the map of nations using the speed train systems for transportation.

    The tone set by the Jonathan administration was however crystallised by the Buhari administration which inherited the project, and delivered the Abuja-Kaduna speed train, as well as the Itakpe-Warri standard gauge, for which the alteration of its original purpose as an industrial line, necessitated the construction of many stations for commercial passenger and cargo purposes.

    The Buhari government also shopped for funding for the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge, being executed through a loan from the China Export Import Bank (China EximBank). Work started in 2017.

    Fielding questions last Thursday, Okhiria said the project is about 70 percent completed with the second line just about six kilometres to Ibadan, where it linked the Ibadan dry port initiative, driven by the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) as part of Federal Government’s efforts to decongest the port.

    He said when the tracks were completed, attention would be shifted to Lagos where work had been slowed down as a result of some challenges ranging from obstruction to the right of way and the challenges of executing such a huge project in a built environment.

    Apart from some structures that are yet to be pulled down as a result of festering litigation over compensations, the contractor, it was gathered, is still battling with encumbrances at the Agege and Apapa end of the contract, which may slow down the pace of work.

    Water pipes, valves, oil and gas pipelines and bridges are some of the impediments that still dog the project on the Lagos corridor.

    Lagos-Ibadan standard guage takes Oct

    Okhiria said the challenges are daunting, but not insurmountable. He said the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge would be opened in  October.

    “From October we would begin passenger traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge. We should be able to run from Agege to Ibadan without any stress while work continues from Agege to Ebute-Metta Junction, and from there to Apapa, where the contract would terminate to begin cargo freighting from the ports by rail.

    “As the contractor handles the linking of the rail to Apapa, it would also be delivering on the 10 medium and mega stations lined up for the route,” Okhiria said.

    He assured that all the 10 stations designed for the route would be completed by December.

    Transportation and logistics experts said the solution to traffic congestion lies in the exploitation of intermodal transportation system where the rail serves the critical needs of moving the more people.

    At peak period, trains account for three million passenger traffic in the United Kingdom; in Nigeria, the rail system hardly carries over a million passenger traffic yearly.

    With a population of 200 million and Lagos alone accounting for over 26 million, the potential of the train to optimise its potential, whether on the passenger or cargo traffic, are possible, a freight forwarder Mr. Tola Adebayo, said.

    NRC Board member Kayode Opeifa said the feat of achieving the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge within the time frame of three years was commendable. He praised the Buhari administration and the commitment of the former Minister for Transportation for bequeathing to Nigerians a worthy legacy.

    “For most of us, this is the first time our generation is seeing the construction of a railway line as the narrow gauge was constructed in the 19th century. That is the more reason we must appreciate all those who put their integrity on the line to ensure that this project is completed within record time. We are happy that this is almost nearing completion and we do hope that the next lot- Ibadan to Kano would as well as all other projects lined up for execution by this government would be given expeditious execution,” he said.

    Another Director Alhaji Muhammed Musa Bayero could not hide his excitement as he rode the speed train. “We are excited at the pace of work. We salute the commitment and sacrifices that has pushed this project to this level. We are certainly on the cruise to the next level and a ride on this train has further confirmed to us that the train project is on course,” he said.

    His excitement was no doubt infectious. It underlies the yearnings by silent Nigerians longing for good times and a promise which the train exemplifies.

  • Tackling gridlock in urban cities

    The only way out of the traffic gridlock in urban city-states, such as Lagos, is to embrace intermodal transportation, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    If you live in any of the cities, especially Lagos, you must have experienced traffic gridlock and its nightmares.

    In the last decade, moving around Lagos city has become a challenge, with congestion that often defies solution. To beat the traffic, motorists drive against traffic, a worrisome culture known as one-way driving, which is fast emerging as the latest killer.

    The Lagos State Bureau of Statistics stated  that since 2015, the state has been losing two billion man hours to gridlock. The state has lost 10 billion man-hour in the last five years.

    There is no likelihood that traffic congestion could end soon, as the roads get busier, despite  attempts by the government to expand the road network and increase its carriage capacity.

    Going by the projections of the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), traffic congestion may get worse, because road transportion retains almost an exclusive hold on the mobility needs of the people, trade and services to the detriment of other modes of transportation.

    FRSC Corps Marshall Dr Boboye Oyeyemi said the answer to the intractable traffic gridlocks in urban centres, and city-states, such as Lagos, lies in exploring intermodal transportation, as the road mode is over-stretched and its capacity to respond to the growing demands for expansion almost nil.

    Speaking at the first inaugural lecture of the Lagos State University School of Transportation (LASU-SOT), last Wednesday, Oyeyemi said seamless transportation in Lagos would continue to be a mirage, not necessarily because road users were becoming lawless, or because the roads were ‘incurably’ bad, or that traffic control agencies were not alive to their responsibilities, but because of growing pressure on the roads as a result of the growing population and over reliance on the road as the only developed mode of movement of goods, people and services from one point to the other.

    Noting that the opportunities for road expansion is almost non-existent as a result of the small land size of the state, Oyeyemi, who spoke on ‘Transportation and road safety management: Achieving the sustainable development goals in Nigeria’, canvassed exploitation of inter-modal transportation i.e road (land and rail), waterways, air, and pipelines, to cater for the growing demand for mobility in the state.

    “The cost of road expansion in places like Lagos is becoming increasingly high, with land acquisition, cost of compensations where acquisitions are needed to accommodate expansion have all made the development of alternative modes wherein the state has comparative advantage more compelling.”

    The circulatory system

    Likening transportation to the blood circulatory system in human beings, Boboye said just as a healthy blood circulation is a necessity to living, a seamless transportation is strategic to a healthy economy, as it facilitates trade and improves the movement of goods, people, ideas, technology and services.

    He said Lagos, being already ahead of other states in transportation planning, should deepen its strides by completing the pilot blue light rail project, which it started 17 years ago, and reactivate water transportation which the Jakande administration in 1983, developed into a viable transportation alternative for the people of the state.

    According to him, a major impediment to free flow of traffic in many parts are traceable to the shrinking road capacity to meet the growing vehicle density, which in a state like Lagos, accounts for 33 percent of total number of vehicles in the country, and above the national average.

    Statistics

    While South Africa has 2,000 road network, categorised as Category A (trunk A roads), Nigeria with 204,200 kilometres of roads, made up of 34,179.20 km of federal roads, (representing 17 percent) of total road network, 30,489.40km of state roads representing 16 percent and 129, 531.40km of Local Government roads, representing 67 percent.

    What it means is that while in South Africa all the roads are well laid, and regularly maintained, in Nigeria, 67 percent of the roads are local government roads (more known as trunk c, or rural roads) with poor maintenance being the common denominator.

    If the railway can account for three million passenger traffic daily in the United Kingdom, Lagos, with a population of 26.6 million, according to him, has the population to profitably sustain all modes of transportation. Rather, the blue line, which was supposed to be the flagship of the state’s capacity in rail sub-sector has been comatose for close to two decades.

    A similar worrisome tale trails the state’s capacity on the waterways. Despite its huge potential of eight million passenger traffic daily, the state hardly accounts for 50,000 passenger traffic daily, while barge services with huge cargo capacity on the waterway is almost non-existent.

    The resultant effect of these neglect, Oyeyemi averred, is the continued concentration on the road as the only viable means of transportation. This has left in its wake continuous convolutions and nightmare on road users.

    According to him, while a seamless transportation enables increased access to jobs, markets, education, recreation and healthcare, the inefficient movement of people, goods and services reduces productivity, promotes wasted, increases carbon emissions which depletes the ozone layers, thus triggering climate change, which compromises safety and threatens the quality of life.

    He held that continued growth in population, employment and trade have led to the placement of increasing demand on road transportation system, and challenging the efficiency of road network.

    He identified the major challenges to road efficiency to include lane indiscipline exemplified by driving against traffic, popularly called one way driving, and the preponderance of commercial motorcycle operators most of whose reckless driving have continued to contribute to the growing rate of accidents, which has remained one of the highest among other developing nations of the world.

    He wanted okada as a means of commercial operation banned, he canvassed  that each state to become stricter in granting permits for okada operations.

    He reiterated that the FRSC would from August 1, begin the enforcement of okada operator’s licences and number plates, saying that many of them are operating without licences and number plates, making efforts to capture their activities and documenting their involvements in accidents and crime a herculean task.

    Rather than patronise okada, the Corps Marshal wants other states to copy Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory in providing large and medium capacity buses for commuters. With more buses connecting the first and the last miles of commuters from their homes to their destinations and back, the total dependency on private vehicles will be reduced.

    “An efficient intermodal system of transportation is the key to unlocking the congested roads, reduce the need for private vehicles, promote public sector transportation, reduce carbon emission, improve environment and enhance the nation’s tourism potentials,” Oyeyemi said.

    Besides okada operations, the FRSC, he said is also having a challenge with articulated vehicle operators, most of who have become lawless and reckless.

    Observing that over 90 percent of articulated trucks on the roads are above 35 years and no longer road worthy, Oyeyemi disclosed that he would long have clamped down on such vehicles, especially those carrying wet cargoes, but for pleas that going ahead might trigger scarcity in the economy.

    He said with the government’s plan to facilitate a loan for fleet owners, Nigerians may begin to witness a reduction in truck accidents, with the gradual withdrawal of the old vehicles. He said 80 percent of trucks on the roads have had their weights adjusted from the original design with, for instance, a petroleum tanker designed to carry 33,000 litres of fuel now adjusted to ferry 66,000 litres, thus destroying the roads. He said a fine of not less than N1 million would be slammed on any operator found guilty of this.

    For Oyeyemi, even insurance firms have a role to play in promoting safety and safe cultures on the nation roads. The Corps Marshal called for realistic prices for insurance policies and wondered why insurance firms have failed to break the cartel behind fake insurance policies proliferating in the market.

    He called for realistic premium payments, that would see any motorists without crashes to pay less, while those with history of crashes should be made to pay more. Also, insurance firms should vote a percentage of their premium on improving roads or equip trauma and emergency centres across the country.

    He said the FRSC has had tremendous impact on eight of the 17 goals of the SDGs, focusing on road safety, food security, promotion of the health and well-being of Nigerians promotion of life long learnings, the promotion of sustainable economic growth building resilience and sustainable and safe cities, promotion of policies that promotes climate change and strengthening of global partnerships.

    LASU’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun said the SOT scored another first in developing solutions to transportation and traffic congestions not only in the state, but also in the country.

    He said LASU has been designated a Centre of Excellence not only by the National Universities Commission (NUC), by also the United Nations. He pledged that the school would continue to study the challenges besetting the country to provide solutions.

    Earlier, Dean of the School, Prof Samuel Gbadebo Odewunmi, said it is happy having an achiever like Oyeyemi deliver its first inaugural lecture. He urged governments to palliate their legacy projects, especially roads in order to reduce the nightmare motorists face plying the roads.

  • LASTMA: An agency in need of new life

    The Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration has repositioned the Lagos Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), empowering the agency to enforce traffic laws. But can its officials come away from the rent culture of milking the people? asks ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE.

    By  now you must have heard of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority’s (LASTMA’s) new slogan: “There’s a new sheriff in town”. It was the punch line from an advert that seeks to underscore the government’s zero tolerance to one-way driving (euphemism for driving against traffic).

    A worrisome practice, one-way driving is fast emerging as most dreadful cause of fatal accidents on the Lagos roads. In the state’s Traffic Law 2012, as amended, ‘one way’ driving offenders are meant to undergo psychiatric test, forfeit the vehicle and pay fine or serve a jail term upon conviction by the mobile court.

    But except where it was unavoidable, the immediate past governor, Akinwumi Ambode expressly stopped LASTMA, in the last four years, from enforcing arrests.

    In his determination to move traffic, which was his major headache in power, former Governor Akinwunmi Ambode stopped LASTMA from jumping into vehicles in their bid to enforce the law.

    But ‘the new Sheriff’, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has reversed the law, barely 24 hours after being sworn in with an order backing LASTMA, as the lead agency in charge of traffic management in the state.

    On a visit to LASTMA headquarters, the governor emphasised that no one is above the law. He directed LASTMA officials not to spare anyone, including his relatives and cabinet members if caught flouting any of the traffic laws.

    “I’ve told my family members, and I’m going to tell members of my cabinet that if they are caught violating traffic rules, they would be held accountable. You will pay the fines for any offence(s) committed,” the governor said.

    As an incentive, Sanwo-Olu directed 100 per cent increment of the officials’ hazard allowance. He also promised that any traffic official, who falls sick in the course of duty, would be treated free of charge, adding that “to whom much is given, much is expected”.

    Nothing has generated more attention among the public since the last week than the new powers handed down to LASTMA by the governor, especially as heavier sanctions now attend any defaulters of the state’s traffic laws.

    Although the government had indicated that it would soon come with a policy to address driving against traffic, LASTMA started implementing the state’s Traffic Law as amended with a significant increase on the fines applicable to all traffic offences.

    In the new amendment, offenders caught driving against traffic are liable to pay N200,000 fine, up from N50,000 as stipulated in the extant 2012 law.

    Residents said the increment is fast creating a black economy that unscrupulous elements within the agency have started latching on, to line their pockets, rather than government coffers.

    For instance, offenders, rather than being booked for one-way driving, now opt to settle out of court. What this means is that in most cases, they negotiate with LASTMA officials and pay some money to get off the hook.

    A motorist, Ibijola Usman, who claimed to have observed such an incident last week, said what the new administration has done is to make “one-way offence the most lucrative for LASTMA officers”.

    Penultimate Friday, the governor paraded two such culprits, LASTMA officials, who were arrested following investigation into a petition received from a motorist, who accused them of extortion. The petitioner alleged that he paid directly into the officers’ accounts.

    The Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, while briefing his boss said the officers were arrested following investigation and would be handed over to the police for prosecution.

    Warning the public against falling into such traps, Hamzat said no officer of the state is permitted to engage in any cash transaction, adding that any payment made into any account outside official accounts of the state should be promptly reported.

    He said the government is ever ready to weed the agency of unscrupulous elements, even as he urged Lagosians to always abide by the law.

    The Lagos State Traffic Laws, passed by the state House of Assembly in 2012, was designed to protect law abiding road users, while violators face the consequences of their actions. The sanctions range from between N5,000 to N50,000 fine, jail terms and forfeiture of vehicles.

    But the Traffic Law 2018 as amended stipulated stiffer penalties for these offences. For instance, driving against traffic now attracts a fine of N200,000 from N50,000. Also, all the violations that had no monetary penalties now attract between N20,000 to N90,000 fine.

    Offences like failure to use seat belt, unclosed doors or standing on the doorway while in motion, which were hitherto free, now attracts N20,000 fine each. Parking on the highway, obstruction of traffic, picking or dropping passengers on illegal bus-stop also now attract N50,000 fine. Reversing a vehicle on the highway, or driving on kerbs and parking on walkways now attract N50,000 fine. Driving on BRT designated lanes draws N70,000 fine, while dropping passengers on laybys is slammed with N90,000 fine. Perhaps the only fine that was retained in the new fine regime was demurage paid on detained vehicles, which still attracts N1000 fine per night.

    A source in the Ministry of Transportation, who preferred anonymity said the review was to ensure that the fines were punitive enough for deterrence.

    He said: “Giving offenders a N50,000 fine is like a slap on the wrist. But with N200,000 fine or risk of impounding and being shown on camera during mobile court trial, they will think twice. The essence is deterrence,” the official said.

    LASTMA spokesman, Mahmud Hassan corroborated the claim, adding that “the law was expressly clear that we should impound a vehicle that drives against traffic, which is the most common traffic offence these days”.

    He, however, said the agency’s mandate is to manage traffic in the state in a smooth and efficient manner.

    One way traffic, like Hassan said, has become the single most prominent traffic offence in the state.

    A motorist, Muyiwa Akolade, said LASTMA officials need to undergo capacity training for effective discharge of their mandate.

    He said the manner the officials were implementing the law would suggest they were out to milk the people rather than manage traffic and ensure they deflood traffic on the state roads.

    According to Akolade, Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Achilles heels might just be LASTMA. “The goodwill enjoyed by Sanwo-Olu in the first two weeks is being fast eroded by these officials,” he said.

    Two culprits last week forfeited their vehicles to the state by the mobile court in Opebi, Ikeja, for one way driving.

    A former Commissioner for Transportation in the state, Comrade Kayode Opeifa sided with the Deputy Governor that LASTMA is a traffic management and not a revenue generation agency.

    He said all the fines were to deter offenders from running foul of the law and protect road users from reckless drivers.

    Opeifa, however, bemoan a total breakdown of discipline in the rank and file of the agency, adding that government should continue to weed out errant officers who are out to extort innocent Nigerians, using the state roads.

    The former commissioner added that LASTMA needs to show capacity more than ever before that it is capable to manage traffic situation in the state.

    Opeifa, who noted that he managed the state’s transportation with just 2,400 LASTMA officers, said the agency which now has 6,700 officials have no excuse not to ensure a gridlock free state.

    “With more men and resources at LASTMA’s disposal, Lagos should not be experiencing these excruciating traffic that we see everywhere in the state. What it means is that more commands have been created and more local governments can now be covered. More traffic dark spots can be effectively covered and we should witness more relief on the road.

    He sided the governor that more is expected of LASTMA. He said LASTMA have always operated three shifts-morning, afternoon and off-days, with those on afternoon working till around 9pm. What the governor merely did was to extend the closing hour till 11pm.

    He said LASTMA officials need to be retrained and their output boosted in order for them to contribute meaningfully to the administration’s vision to address transportation and traffic management effectively.

    LASTMA’s General Manager Olawale Musa said LASTMA is determined to sanitise the roads, assuring that erring officials would be fished out and prosecuted.

  • Traffic gridlock: Will Executive Order do the magic?

    The first Executive Order of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration has shown how ‘desperate’ Lagos State is in getting not only the people moving, but also the state’s economy, writes Adeyinka Aderibigbe

    The Lagos State Tansport Management Authority’s (LASTMA’s) new slogan  in one of its advertisement against one way driving, seems to have struck a chord with Lagosians, who have in the last one week, begun to appreciate that “a new Sheriff is in town”.

    Nothing else underscores how central transportation is to the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration than the executive order, which came into force on May 30, barely 24 hours after he assumed office as the state’s fifth executive governor.

    For Lagos motorists, only very few unpleasant things could surpass traffic gridlock. Many could have opted to leave the state, but its economy is simply irresistible. So, rather than exiting, more people keep trooping in, compounding the economy and making nonsense of the state’s transportation plan.

    Successive governments had tried to resolve the traffic situation with massive road constructions and opening up of inner roads, but their efforts appeared like scratching the problem on the surface. Barely two weeks after being sworn in, the immediate past governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, showed the capacity to tackle the traffic situation when he visited some of the major grey points in the metropolis, assuring that his administration would provide solutions to the traffic snarl in the state.

    In a paper delivered at the African Forum of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transportation (CILT) at Arusha, Tanzania by the Assistant Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Kayode Olagunju, titled: “Evaluating traffic congestion in developing nations, a case study of Nigeria”, major causes of congestion listed  by him included lane indiscipline, high traffic density, low road network carrying capacity and poor traffic management.

    Other causative factors, according to him, are poor road support infrastructure, such as lay-by, low response to removal of broken down and crashed vehicles and poor integration of urban transport planning.

    Sanwo-Olu’s Order, which could be interpreted as a declaration of a state of emergency on transportation, sought to address three thematic areas that have bedeviled the sector. They are road infrastructure, environmental impact and traffic management.

    Transportation holds the key to unlocking the nation’s economic potential. For so long, Lagos has been bedeviled by the transportation plague. The state, which hosts major drivers of the economy, the ports (both sea and air) and the nation’s financial headquarters, has been held back by a dreary transportation system that has relied almost exclusively on the roads.

    So grave has the impact of the gridlock to the nation’s economy been that the Lagos Bureau of Statistics said the state, whose population is estimated at 25.6 million, loses about two billion hours yearly. A moving transportation sector, therefore, remains the key to unlocking the economy. Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Mr Babatunde Ruwase said recently that Nigeria loses between N5  and N7 trillion yearly to gridlock.

    Signing the Order, which came, Sanwo-Olu declared that Lagosians were in a hurry to see the enthronement of discipline on the roads. “The order was to address issues, such as potholes, blockages and the rest of it,” he said.

    To address these issues, he mandated the state’s Drain Ducks Agency, to clean all the drainage and de-silt all primary, secondary and tertiary drainages to ensure free flow of rainwater, especially during the rainy season and the blockade that usually results to ponding on the roads. He directed the Lagos State Public Works Corporation (LSPWC) to start road patching and rehabilitation.

    Sanwo-Olu by fiat, directed LASTMA to operate two shifts. “Our desire is to ensure that we control traffic until everybody gets home safely.  LASTMA should, therefore, extend its working hours and ensure traffic control till 11p.m,” he said.

    He instructed LASTMA and the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) to ensure compliance with traffic rules and regulations.

    He said: “Lagosians are not going to wait for us any longer to maintain orderliness on our roads. Hence, I have invited all the Security Chiefs to witness the signing of the Executive Order so that they can hear us and support us.’’

    It was the first time, according to Kayode Opeifa, any government in Lagos will back LASTMA’s activities with an Executive Order.

    “The order has put paid to thinking in certain quarters that the Sanwo-Olu government may be soft on traffic offenders. Right in front of security chiefs in the state, the governor gave LASTMA the marching order to strictly enforce all extant laws relating to transportation,” he said.

    Opeifa, a former Commissioner for Transportation in the state and immediate past Executive Secretary for Transportation in the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA), said no agency of government has suffered more in the last four years than LASTMA, many of whose officials were attacked, maimed and killed by irate citizens just for doing their legitimate job of keeping traffic moving in the state.

    However, as the state seemed bent on traffic management, it understood that no success could be achieved if the roads remained bad. With virtually all its 9,600 inner road network in various stages of dilapidation, the governor recognised that nothing tangible could be done except the roads are fixed.

    Not only did he mandate the LSPWC to embark on aggressive remediation of all critical roads across the state, the governor, as part of efforts at ensuring that all roads are touched, promised to release emergency toll free telephone numbers through which Lagosians could report all bad roads in their areas.

    At a public forum, the governor directed the LSPWC to swing into action. LASTMA’s General Manager Olawale Musa said the agency is prepared to comply with the governor’s directive. Musa said the 4000-man strong agency may even run three shifts at some locations that are notable for traffic gridlock. He disclosed that efforts were in top gear to provide security backup for its men whose shift runs into the night.

    “Our men have been adequately briefed and they are very enthusiastic in cooperating with the administration in keeping the state moving. In some places we are planning to have working sheds where those who may not be able to return to their homes at night could repose for the night,” Musa said.

    Musa, however, sued for commuters’ understanding to reduce frictions that usually put his men at risk on the field.

    “We would urge Lagosians to understand that we are partners and not enemies. Our desire is to ensure that everyone moves freely in the state and we would continue to do this without fear or favour,” Musa said, adding that the agency was getting worried that some unscrupulous drivers (both commercial and private) were fond of abducting its officers, beating and abandoning them in desolate places.

    “Every week, we receive reports in our situation room of our officials being abducted by culprits in the course of enforcing traffic regulations, beaten mercilessly before being released or in some cases the officials escaping before more harm could come their way,” he said.

    He disclosed that the agency has been organising regular training and retraining of its workforce to drive down a re-orientation needed for better civil engagement to promote good relationship with motorists.

    Olawale added that the agency had tried to stop physical enforcement of traffic offences, but was being stalled because of lack of data. He, therefore, called for public understanding, saying that rather than taking the law into their hands, erring officials should be reported to the agency for appropriate disciplinary actions.

    “LASTMA is being paid from their taxes. The government employed these officials to work in their interest to keep the roads free, so they should cooperate with us. We are there for them to ensure that they have free flow of traffic. Whatever issues they have, they should take it up with us and not our officers on the road. If our officers misbehave let them take it up with us, we have machinery in place to take up any offences and mete out the appropriate punishment to any officer. Let them cooperate with LASTMA to ensure that our services are seamless,” he said.

    Sanwo-Olu, then, urged all agencies involved in the exercise to encourage voluntary compliance and enlightenment. “You are to enforce the law only when it is absolutely necessary and after you have exhausted all peaceful avenues,” the governor said.

    He indicated that the government would come up with a policy on driving against traffic, and other forms of lane indiscipline, which, according to Olagunju, is one of the major challenges against free flow traffic in the state.

  • Apapa gridlock: Is there end in sight?

    Seventy-two hours to the two-week deadline to rid the ports and access roads of trucks, hope appears dim that a total evacuation of the roads is possible, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    For citizen Joshua, a media executive who works at Apapa, clearing the gridlock in Nigeria’s busiest commercial corridor appears to be a mirage.

    Narrating his experience, Isaac last Friday said he had left his office on Point Road, Apapa at 6pm, hoping that the trucks clearing exercise going on around Apapa would help him get home early. But that was not to be. He did not get home until 2.30am on Saturday. He spent 8 ½ hours between Apapa and Egbeda, his home, an equivalent of the same hours it would take him to travel between Lagos and Anambra, Southeast of Nigeria or to Lokoja, the Kogi state capital, in North-central Nigeria.  “It was one of my most harrowing experiences since I started working at Apapa,” Joshua, who gave only his first name, said.

    The gain of the last one week of presidential intervention was being eroded by the congestion that re-appeared on the access roads last Thursday. Last Friday and all through the weekend, the little success achieved seemed to have been totally reversed on all access roads.

    The only part where sanity still prevailed was the Western Avenue/Ikorodu Road axis. The road before the exercise had trucks lining it up to Palmgrove Bus stop. It was empty of trucks as at Sunday. But same cannot be said of Ijora and Ajegunle, which still remained a huge mess, as trailers blocked everywhere from Ijora to Point road, leading to the port.

    Notwithstanding the huge personal sacrifices of Kayode Opeifa-led Taskforce, which had shifted its operational base to Apapa since the penultimate Wednesday when President Muhammadu Buhari issued the  two-week deadline to flush all trucks out of Apapa and its access roads and bridges. Himself and Hakeem Odumosu, a Police Commissioner, who heads the enforcement gang, co-opted virtually all senior government workers, including the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Ademola Kuti, and the port managers among other stakeholders, to solve the “truck madness,” at Apapa.

    According to Joshua, there are chances that  the problem will continue to fester. He urged Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to stop giving out orders to clean up Apapa, as it has repeatedly proved counter-productive.

    Josua said: “I’ll like to beg VP Osinbajo to stop dishing out ‘Presidential Orders’ to trucks to vacate Apapa roads and bridges. Rather, the Federal Government should work quietly with Lagos State to find a solution to the crisis, rather than embarking on empty noise and giving puppet orders that amounts to nothing.”

    He said anytime Prof. Osinbajo reels out ‘orders,’ the blockades in Apapa get worse. It always seems as if the trucks are let loose to unleash greater mayhem whenever Osinbajo talks.

    “It has been totally frustrating for those of us living or working in Apapa as trucks and tankers have blocked every possible exit in Apapa,” Joshua he  said.

    Joshua was not the only one worried about Apapa becoming a nightmare. Apapa Residents Association Chairman, Brig-Gen Ayo Vaughan, said many residents have fled the once honey pot property market and relocated to more livable areas.

    The retired General said he looked forward to a return of the good times, saying he would continue to mount pressure until government succeeds.

    However, unfolding events at Apapa showed that not only the residents were feeling the pinch. Just last Saturday, some “frustrated truck drivers” protested the avoidable delays that left them stranded for over a month on the Apapa road without access to the port.

    Some drivers with cargoes marked for export said they have been stranded between Sanya and Coconut bus stop since April. They were unable to access the ports and discharge their cargoes, some of which had gone bad and left their owners indebted.

    Opeifa in a chat withThe Nation, said the team has recorded appreciable success, expressing the the committee’s commitment to deliver a truck free Apapa port and access road to both the Federal Government and Lagos State by Friday.

    He said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu paid a visit to Apapa last Friday, expressing happiness at the level of success achieved by the task force.

    The Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, Opeifa believed,  is committed to making Apapa work. The two areas, which the taskforce has focused on according to him, are truck traffic management around the access areas and port traffic management, with the government allowing the NPA to solely handle the latter.

    An efficient and effective traffic management, Opeifa said, would address traffic management plan for the entire port area traffic, including cargo, fuel distribution and business district traffic that would incorporate integrated manual call up system, pending the time automatic call up system would be unveiled, as well as truck incident recovery and rescue plan. This would be complemented with a 24-hour mobile police enforcement for security and back up enforcement activities.

    Also unveiled are the deployment of revised empty container return management policy and the use of dedicated truck parks as temporary holding bays to access the Port via Lillypond or  Tincan via the Apapa-Oshodi access way.

    Within the port area, port users agreed to strict adherence to Nigerian Port Authority’s (NPA’s) Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on Port Truck Clearance, which incorporates temporary Manual Call-Up system.

    For managing the truck parks, 54 private parks have been identified and approved by the NPA and all trucks approaching the ports are to head for these NPA approved parking lots, for port access through Lillypond Terminal, which would serve as a marshalling yard, while trucks are to access the port only and exclusively through the NPA call up system on SOP, and Port Truck Clearance Procedure (PTCP) basis.

    According to Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI) President, Mr Babatunde Ruwase, the nation’s economic loss to the Apapa gridlock is about N7 trillion yearly.

    The figure, Ruwase said, are losses from imports, exports, customs duties, other port charges, as well as the maintenance cost of the vehicles, drivers, and other costs.

    For Ruwase, the government’s executive order on the ease of doing business will continue to suffer reversals until the traffic gridlocks, especially at the ports, is tamed.

    Traffic flow

    He said all stationary, immovable, accidented or wrongfully parked trucks must be removed on all port access roads to designated LASTMA yard. Penalties, fines, fees and charges  should be imposed before their release as applicable by Lagos State Laws.

    Secondly, the enforcement team will ensure all stationary, sided, reefer, silos, Arewa, Dangote, BUA, Flour Mills of Nigeria Ltd (FMNL), Honeywell, Fish  and Flat bed trucks approaching Port gate are to be given priority access based on their individual Port Terminal programme, capacity and common access traffic management system.

    Thirdly, stakeholders agreed that all export container carrying trucks; such as those conveying perishable goods to proceed directly to the port for services and delivery.

    If customs clearance is required, trucks are to approach NPA designated Park for Customs clearance and release.

    The elaborate strategies, according to Opeifa, would effectively mop up the traffic and reduce the lock down being experienced on the roads.

    A logistics automation expert, Tunde Olaosun of Hermonfield Ltd., hailed the government on these measures, describing what is happening at Apapa as “organised chaos”, which is not beyond solution.

    Olaosun said only those with the inner workings of the ports can help solve the crisis, which he described as fallouts of the ports concessionning policy of the Federal Government in 2006.

    He said: “The ports at inception was designed as a multi-purpose port intended to be run by one operator, but ever since the concessioning, Apapa now plays host to five terminal operators all of who are sharing one gate.

    “Being a multi-purpose port, there are different types of truck needs or requirements. The truck requirement for a bulk terminal is different from a container or general cargo terminal. However, the need of every terminal varies, and based on the concession agreement, each of the terminals are supposed to submit to the NPA their truck requirements for proper traffic management 24 hours ahead.”

    Olaosun blamed the gridlock on access control and insider round tripping. Speaking on access control, he said four of the five operators at Apapa Port share one access gate. There are the APM Terminal, EML Consortium, Green View, Apapa Bulk Terminal. While the last has its own access gate, the others use one.

    He said most of the terminal operators’ policy on empty containers are the reason behind the logjam on the Apapa port and access roads. He wondered why importers and businessmen would find it difficult to return empty containers after discharging their goods, putting the blames on some operators who feed fat on innocent importers while government turns blind eyes to their malfeasance.

  • Still the same story on Apapa roads

    Seventy-two hours after the expiration of the presidential directive, the traffic situation on Apapa Ports road has not changed. The public is wondering what can be done about the problem, writes Adeyinka Aderibigbe

    IT seems the Operation No Mercy declared by Hakeem Odumosu, a Commissioner of Police (CP) , and head of the enforcement of the Presidential Task Force on the clearing of Apapa ports roads of cripping traffic on Friday, is giving way to Operation Go Slow.

     

    Go slow

     

    Twenty-four hours after the expiration of the presidential order, the roads as well as bridges around Apapa were still blocked by trucks.

    By Sunday afternoon, nothing seemed to have changed, though the head of the clearance team Comrade Kayode Opeifa declared the operation  successful.

    Opeifa told The Nation that the team recorded some success, and that before yesterday, the roads would have become passable and areas around the ports free of encumbrances.

    He assured that within a fortnight that the committee would work within Lagos area, efforts would be made to sanitise the state.

    Though truckers and other stakeholders had agreed to comply with the order, nothing as yet indicated compliance. The Apapa-Oshodi axis is still impassable, even as the Orile and Ajegunle axis are locked down.

    President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, issued an order meant to sanitise the ports and remove all restriction to businesses.

    However, when the Special Task Force set up by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo met with stakeholders 48 hours after, there was no indication that the order would be effectual.

    The committee said it has 24 hours to clean up the roads and left all transport union leadership to work round achieving it. It threatened severe sanctions against defaulters.

    “Any truck found on the road, bridges and the ports access areas at the expiration of the presidential order would be impounded and the drivers prosecuted,” Opeifa warned on Friday.

    Opeifa, who represented Osinbajo (who was mandated by President Buhari to execute the order), said the Federal Government gave the trucks owners 24 hours to get out of the Apapa axis. He said the taskforce had two weeks to clean up Apapa and would thereafter leave the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and other stakeholders to continue with the implementation of template to free Apapa roads and ports from the worrisome traffic gridlock.

    By Sunday, it appeared that the government had bent backwards to give room for more compliance. Many of the drivers were seen being guided by the police and LASTMA officials to available parking lots.

     

    Staggering loss

     

    In a television chat on Friday, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI) President, Mr Babatunde Ruwase, put a staggering figure to the nation’s economic loss.

    According to him, LCCI’s recent study showed that Nigeria loses about N7 trillion yearly to the Apapa gridlock.

    The figure, the nation’s losses from imports, exports, customs duties, other port charges, as well as the maintenance cost of the drivers, and the wear and tear of the trucks permanently trapped in the Apapa traffic.

    For Ruwase, the government’s executive order on the ease of doing business will continue to suffer reversals until the traffic gridlock, especially in Lagos is tamed.

    For Opeifa, enough is enough. He assured that the Buhari administration is determined to make Apapa work.

    Opeifa who observed that the ports are stretched beyond capacity urged all investors to carry on their businesses without infringing on the right of others.

    As part of the short-term measures, Opeifa, who reiterated the successes of the past interventions at Apapa, in 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015 and shortly before the elections, said studies have shown that if enough commitment is deployed, the Apapa corridor can be cleaned up within 10 hours.

    Attention, according to him, would be focused on truck traffic management and port area traffic management, with the government allowing the NPA to handle the latter.

    An efficient and effective traffic management, he said, would address traffic management for the entire port area traffic, including cargo, fuel distribution and business district traffic that would incorporate integrated manual call up system, until the automatic call up system would be unveiled, as well as truck incident recovery and rescue plan.

    This would be complemented with a 24-hour mobile police enforcement for security and back up enforcement.

    Also unveiled are the deployment of revised empty container return management policy and the use of dedicated truck parks as temporary holding bays, for access to port via lillypond or directly to Tin Can via the Apapa-Oshodi access way.

    Within the port area, the stakeholders also agreed to adherence to the NPA Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) on Port Truck Clearance, which incorporates temporary Manual Call-Up system.

    For managing the truck parks, 54 private parks have been identified and approved by NPA and all trucks approaching the ports are to head for all NPA-approved private parking lots, for port access via Lillypond Terminal, which would serve as a marshalling yard. Trucks are to access the port only and exclusively through the NPA call up system on SOP, and Port Truck Clearance Procedure (PTCP).

     

    Traffic Flow

     

    The following were also adopted to manage traffic flow within the port: the removal of all stationary, immovable, accidented, incidented or wrongfully parked trucks are removed on all port access roads with effect from last Sunday, to a designated LASTMA impound yard. Penalty fines, fees and charges to be imposed before release would be  applied the by Lagos State Laws after undertaken by the truck and consignment owner, Road Worthiness Certificate of Truck, a Driver’s Test Certificate from the state Drivers institute and Presidential consent.

    Secondly, the enforcement team would ensure all stationary, sided, reefer, silos, Arewa, Dangote, BUA, Flour Mills of Nigeria Limited (FMNL), Honeywell, Fish and Flat bed trucks approaching the Port gate were to be given priority access based on their Port Terminal programme, capacity and common access traffic management system.

    Thirdly, stakeholders agreed that all export container carrying trucks; such as those conveying perishable and reefer containers, are to proceed directly to the port for services and delivery.

    If customs clearance is required, trucks are to approach NPA-designated Park for Customs clearance/release.

    The elaborate strategies, according to Opeifa, would effectively mop up the traffic and reduce the lock down being experienced on the roads.

    A logistics automation expert, Tunde Olaosun of Hermonfield Limited, described what was happening at Apapa as “organised chaos.” He said the gridlock is a man-made crisis that could be solved once appropriate traffic management strategies are deployed.

    Olaosun, who had worked with APM Terminal and EML Terminal before going into private practice said only those with the inner workings of the ports can help solve the crisis, which he described as the fallouts of the ports concessionning policy of the federal government in 2006.

    For him, the Apapa and the Tin can Island ports’ gridlock would continue and may grow worse, if the government refuses to deploy the right strategies or continue to listen to the wrong people.

    Apart from adding to the cost of doing business, the gridlock has made the ports unattractive, and continued to ridicule Nigeria and Lagos which ordinarily ought to be the preferred hub not only for the West African sub-region, but also the African continent.

    He said: “The ports at inception was designed as a multi-purpose port that was intended to be run by one operator, but ever since the concessioning, Apapa now play host to five terminal operators all of who are sharing one gate.

    “Being a multi-purpose port, there are different types of truck needs or requirements. The truck requirement for a bulk terminal is different from a container or general cargo terminal. However, the need of every terminal varies, and based on the concession agreement, each of the terminals are supposed to submit to the NPA, 24 hours ahead, their truck requirements for proper traffic management.”

    Olaosun and other experts blame the gridlock on issues, such as access control and insider round tripping as a result of activities in the port area.

    Speaking on access control, stakeholders said four of the five operators at Apapa port share one access gate. There are the APM Terminal, EML Consortium, Green View, Apapa Bulk Terminal. While the last has its own access gate, the others use one.

     

     

     

    They contended if the gridlock continued, it might pose threat to food security, because the movement in the port is diverse. “As you see import containers trying to gain access to the ports, so also are exports containers. Some trucks laden with exports have been stranded in the queue for over eight weeks. What margin would be left for a farmer trying to export his produce if he could not get to the port before his goods perishes. Most of the time, when these goods gets to destination they are rejected as a result of poor quality, they end up being sold on the high sea far below the cost price. Imagine if such farmer had borrowed from the banks? When they cannot pay, the banks go after them, get them jailed, thereby preventing them from farming. The problem would be compounded with poor import inflow, which may lead to food shortage and scarcity.”

    The stakeholders, however, pointed at the lack of infrastructure at the ports. They called for the repair of all roads leading to the ports and opening of the rail access to the ports.

    Olaosun believed that rather than build a truck park, which the Lagos State government  is doing, efforts should be deployed into establishing a marshalling yard, from where trucks, through a call up system, could move in and out of the port with ease.

    For him, a marshalling yard that controls movements in and out of the Apapa, would provide more funds for the government rather than providing a truck park.