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Tag: Apapa gridlock

  • I battled entrenched interests to end Apapa gridlock – Oyetola

    I battled entrenched interests to end Apapa gridlock – Oyetola

    Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Isiaka Oyetola has revealed the fierce behind-the-scenes battles that led to the eventual clearing of the infamous Apapa gridlock — a debilitating crisis that had crippled port operations and economic activities for over two decades.

    Speaking on Monday, when he addressed members of Study Group 4, Senior Executive Course 47 of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), who were on a study tour of the Ministry, the minister recounted the long and difficult journey to restoring order to Nigeria’s most important maritime corridor, stating that the victory did not come easily.

    Oyetola disclosed that he had to confront and dismantle entrenched interests and well-organised syndicates who had, for years, fed fat on the chaos surrounding the ports and their access roads. 

    “The Apapa gridlock wasn’t natural — it was engineered. Some people built careers and empires on the dysfunction of that corridor. Breaking that cycle meant taking on forces who didn’t want change,” the Honourable Minister said.

    The Minister explained that shortly after assuming office in 2023, it became clear to him that the Apapa gridlock had to be tackled head-on if Nigeria’s blue economy was to thrive. But beyond administrative inefficiencies and infrastructural collapse, what he encountered was a system hijacked by vested interests. 

    “Clearing that gridlock meant going against years of collusion, corruption, and carefully cultivated disorder. We identified the patterns, unmasked the players, and took decisive action. It was gritty and risky, but it had to be done,” he said.

    He said central to the success of the operation was collaboration across government ministries. Oyetola disclosed that in December 2023, he formally wrote to the Minister of Works, Senator Dave Umahi, requesting urgent intervention on the failed portions of the port access roads. 

    “I knew our efforts would not amount to much if the roads remained impassable. I reached out to my colleague, Senator Umahi, and appealed for his support. He responded with commendable urgency. The repairs began swiftly, and that infrastructural support gave our reforms the room they needed to take hold,” Oyetola stated.

    Oyetola commended the Lagos State Government for supporting the effort of the Federal Government in removing shanties and other illegal structures on the port access roads.

    He said with roads fixed, access restored, and a new digital system introduced for truck scheduling and movement, the once-notorious Apapa gridlock began to ease — then disappeared entirely.

    “For the first time in over 20 years, trucks no longer spend weeks waiting to pick up or deliver cargo. Port users began to experience seamless movement, while haulage costs dropped by as much as 60 percent.

    “The difference is night and day. Where chaos once reigned, there is now order. Where traders once lost billions, we are now attracting major container carriers. The ports are alive again. Trade is moving. Time is being saved. Revenue is growing,” Oyetola said.

    The impact, he noted, goes far beyond logistics. He said Apapa residents now live in cleaner, quieter surroundings. Small businesses that once shut down due to inaccessibility are beginning to return. Port workers are more efficient, and the entire Nigerian economy stands to gain from the renewed competitiveness of its ports.

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    “Too many lives were lost during those years of gridlock. People lost livelihoods, businesses closed, and property values collapsed. I am happy that we have restored hope and opened a new chapter,” Oyetola said.

    Despite the victory, the Minister was quick to point out that sustaining the progress would require continued vigilance. 

    The successful resolution of the Apapa gridlock stands as a defining milestone in Oyetola’s tenure and a powerful example of what can be achieved through focused leadership, inter-ministerial cooperation, and the courage to challenge deeply rooted interests. 

    The NIPSS Study Group was led by the Directing Staff of the institute, Brigadier General Abdulrahaman Idris, who commended Oyetola for his giant strides.

  • Direct call-up abuse: Apapa risks gridlock, says AMATO

    Direct call-up abuse: Apapa risks gridlock, says AMATO

    …warns of crippled port operations, trade activities

    The Apapa logistics corridor, once plagued by severe gridlock and operational inefficiencies, is at risk of returning to its chaotic past due to the alleged abuse of the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) direct evacuation call-up system.

    Secretary of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Sani Mohammed, sounded the alarm, warning that unless immediate action is taken, Apapa’s roads will once again be overrun by trucks, crippling port operations, and trade activities. 

    Mohammed, in an exclusive interview with The Nation, raised concerns over the commercialisation of the direct evacuation call-up system, which was originally designed for urgent cargo clearance. Instead, it has become a money-making scheme for unscrupulous actors who exploit the system for personal gain. 

    “The NPA must checkmate this abuse in the interest of trade facilitation, traffic sanity, and the ease of doing business. If nothing is done, Apapa will descend into complete anarchy, and the economy will suffer,” Bala Mohammed cautioned.

    He explained that a normal call-up costs N21,500, while a direct evacuation call-up is N10,000. But some people, who have access to the platform, he opined, generate these call-ups and sell them for as high as N150,000,” he disclosed. 

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    According to him, middlemen have infiltrated the system, buying call-ups at lower rates and reselling them at inflated prices.

    He said: “Some individuals who do not have cargo to evacuate from the ship are still applying for the direct evacuation call-up, only to resell it at a profit. This has turned the system into a commercial enterprise, with more people exploiting it instead of following the standard call-up process, which requires booking and waiting in line. 

    “As a result, many truckers are now opting for this shortcut, bypassing the structured procedure entirely. If this trend continues, the roads leading to the ports will soon be overwhelmed with traffic, ultimately causing the collapse of the automation system.

    “This would bring back the pre-call-up era of severe congestion and disorder in the Apapa logistics corridor, disrupting trade facilitation, the ease of doing business, and worsening port congestion, with negative consequences for Nigeria’s economy.”

    The implications of this abuse, he warned, could be disastrous.

    “As a result, many truckers are now opting for this shortcut, bypassing the structured procedure entirely. If this trend continues, the roads leading to the ports will soon be overwhelmed with traffic, ultimately causing the collapse of the automation system,” Mohammed stated. 

    He painted a dire picture of what could happen if nothing is done, stating, “This would bring back the pre-call-up era of severe congestion and disorder in the Apapa logistics corridor, disrupting trade facilitation, the ease of doing business, and worsening port congestion, with negative consequences for Nigeria’s economy.” 

    The growing problem is already visible, he noted. “Go to Apapa now, check adjoining streets, the bridges, and port corridors, you will see trucks clogging the roads because they are no longer following the standard procedure,” Mohammed observed. 

    He traced the issue to the abuse of the direct evacuation call-up, which was originally meant for urgent shipments but has now been manipulated.

    “The direct evacuation call-up system allows cargo owners with urgent shipments to move directly from the ship. But now, people are using it to move loads that have nothing to do with emergency cargo. Instead of booking their slots and following due process, they divert to other terminals and gain unauthorised access to the ports,” he lamented. 

    This abuse has created an unfair advantage for those who bypass the system while others, who follow the proper process, face prolonged delays.

    “People who are following the standard call-up process are being delayed unnecessarily. Meanwhile, those abusing the direct evacuation system are making multiple trips in a week. This disparity is creating tension among truckers, and if those who have been waiting for weeks decide to abandon the pre-gate process and join the direct call-up race, traffic sanity will collapse,” he warned. 

    Reflecting on the initial purpose of the call-up system, Mohammed recalled the problems that plagued port operations before its introduction. According to him, before the introduction of the Electronic Call-Up (ETO), truck admission was manual, riddled with bribery and favouritism which took a serious toll on businesses as well as the nation’s economy.

    The ETO automation system, he explained was introduced to address these inefficiencies by enforcing a structured truck movement process.

    “All trucks must first enter a Satellite Park, then move to a pre-gate before being released into the ports on a first-come, first-served basis. This system was meant to bring order and efficiency to port operations,” he said. 

    Now, with the abuse of the direct evacuation system, that order is being threatened.

    “We will go back to the time when roads, bridges, and streets were filled with trucks. And it has already started happening,” he warned. 

    AMATO is now calling on the NPA to act swiftly before the situation spirals out of control.

    “If this trend continues, all the roads will be congested, and the automation system will eventually collapse. We will return to the pre-call-up era of traffic disorderliness and anarchy in the Apapa logistics corridor, to the detriment of trade facilitation, ease of doing business, and the Nigerian economy in general,” Mohammed concluded.

  • Apapa gridlock: End of nightmare in sight

    Four months after the Presidential Task Team on Apapa gridlock started work, residents and others have started heaving a sigh of relief, writes ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE

    The song on the lips of private and corporate residents of Apapa these days is sustainability: that is, how to ensure that the ‘miracle’ that unlocked the gridlock that had seized the nation’s economic honey pot by the throat is sustained.

    For about a decade, many residents thought that Apapa has been sentenced to perennial gridlock. Such assumptions were reinforced by the failure of successive special Task Forces to tackle the traffic.

    One such resident, who never believed the government could tackle the Apapa gridlock, was Alhaji Umar Danlami, a Potiskum, Yobe State-born supplier and transporter. “I never believed the task team could make a difference when they started in May 2019. But four months after, the task team has not only solved the Apapa gridlock, but have proved that with effective traffic control system, Apapa would never slip into the ugly era again,” the Apapa-based businessman said.

    Danlami, a Nigeria Flour Mills (NFM) major transporter and supplier, and owner of Danlami Truck Park, praised the Presidential Task Team (PTT), headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and its Vice Chairman, Kayode Opeifa, “whose commitment to decongesting Apapa of trucks have been total”.

    He said: “I did not expect that this gridlock would ever go away from Apapa. If you know this Apapa before, there is no way, you’ll not be praying for this team for bringing sanity into Apapa. Everyone thought the gridlock was real, but when this committee came we discovered that it was artificial; that, it was man-made, created by those benefiting from it.”

    Specifically, he praised the team’s Head of Enforcement, Hakeem Odumosu, a Commissioner of Police, and an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Bayonle Sulaimon, for their commitment to riding Apapa of the nightmare.

    A logistics and haulage expert, Mr Tunji Olaosun, agreed that the gridlock was man-made. He urged the government to sustain the initiatives aimed at de-flooding the port area of trucks.

    An Apapa resident, Mr Paul Eloka, lamented that many residents, who had fled Apapa,  were returning as the traffic situation had been brought under control since the task team started work. He added that residents were praying that the team, which would be marking its fourth month in Apapa on September 22, be retained.

    “We would want Mr President to please retain these people at Apapa, because they have shown uncommon commitment to the cause of people.”

    The Councillor representing Apapa Ward B, Hon. Ishaq Ali Danbaba, said the team has brought a new meaning to governance, as the traffic has been managed and critical roads connecting the ports are being rehabilitated.

    “When there is a serious government, nothing is impossible. Today, Apapa gridlock, which many feared may never be resolved, is now history.”

    Danbaba said by managing the various traffic flows into Apapa, the PTT has been able to solve the traffic gridlock without hitches. “Every night, the team allows companies producing around Apapa, like Dangote, BUA,  NFM, Standard, Crown, Flour Mills, to go to Apapa and load and, even at that, the trucks are directed to keep to just one lane, while one lane is left for residents to have access to their homes. The area with challenges is the Tin Can axis, which still remains clogged as a result of the ongoing construction,” Danbaba said.

    The National Coordinator of the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA), Comrade Stephen Okafor, said by decongesting Apapa, the PTT has achieved in full the Executive Order Six of Mr President on the ease of doing business, especially in Apapa.

    COMTUA – an amalgam of transport unions – had decried the extortionist tendencies of previous task forces, and their protests had resulted in the composition of the task team.

    “We agreed to move these trucks to private parks, to reduce the number of trucks parking on the road. Of the 64 private parks that COMTUA recommended, 33 parks were approved for use and, as we speak, the NPA management is calling trucks from these parks. The NPA opened the Lilypond Terminal and the Tin Can Truck Park at the Tin Can Second Gate, where trucks on that axis are parking, from where they are called in to the Tin Can ports. These have gone a long way to reduce congestion,” Okafor said.

    COMTUA’s Head of Operations Malam Inua Abdullahi, however, accused shipping firms of sabotaging PTT’s efforts, adding that they have continued to show little or no improvement in their capacity to accommodate the container returns.

    Victor Nnatum, a trucker, urged the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigeria Shippers Council (NSC) to enforce the laws and ensure that terminal operators comply.

    He urged the government and the shipping lines to review the demurrage regime which  compounded the traffic situation in Apapa traffic.

    Gbade Amodu, a truck fleet operator and transporter, said the Team succeeded because they balanced the road among users. “They put up a system, stating that at any particular time of the day, you can identify the traffic that is on the road. They put such a system in the morning for residents to move about freely, or go to work and their businesses. There is time for the regular truck traffic. Truck traffic has many categories. You have  manufacturers, such as the Flour Mills BUA, Crown Flour, Dangote, and Honeywell. These ones move in at all times. They have been able to segment the traffic flows given the peculiarity of their businesses and needs.”

    Amodu, who noted that the system, has boosted business for truckers, said “before, you’d be lucky to run one trip per week,  some make two”.

    According to him, before, empty containers take more than two weeks to get to Apapa from Ijora Olopa because of the obstacles. “We have the human factor and the Nigerian factor. But now, an average truck can do at least two local trips a week. That is even with the challenges of returning empty containers.”

    Danlami said the system has brought its challenges. According to him, many, like him, who wants to obey the PTT’s directive by moving from Lilypond, are discovering that many trucks still shunt.

    Danlami said: “I profitted more with the old order as I readily paid to get my trucks into the ports and my trucks could make three or four trips per week. Now because I wanted to be law-abiding, I could hardly make one trip per week, while I see some truckers shunt having paid some unscrupulous elements in the police to get ahead of others.”

    Nelson Ekujumi, a human rights activist,  said before the Team would leave, they must set up a sustainable system and engage the terminal operators to review the regime of container deposits, container returns and ensure that the holding bays owned by shipping lines work.

    Ekujumi, who said the Team has achieved so much within a very short time, added that much more could be done when the roads are completed and the electronic call up system being proposed by the NPA comes on stream.

    Secretary, Apapa GRA Residents Association, Bosun Talabi, wondered why the Federal Government could not have another Truck Terminal on the expressway to further ease the traffic along the Tin Can-Coconut axis.

    He urged the government to complement the deployment of the railway with the waterways, adding that containers could be taken by barges from the ports to any of the contiguous locations bordering Apapa, from where the trucks could pick them up for the last mile movement.

    The Apapa GRA Residents Association President and a member of the PTT, Brig-Gen. Ayo Vaughan, praised the Team for making Apapa liveable. “We are glad to note that many who have fled Apapa are coming back and many are looking towards Apapa to locate their businesses once again,” he said. He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to further extend the tenure of the PTT as it is committed to the dream of returning Apapa’s lost glory.

    He, however, said for the efforts to be sustained,  all stakeholders must continue to play their part.

    Opeifa commended all for cooperating making President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision of a- free-flow traffic at Apapa a reality. “The Federal Government is committed to the ease of doing business and when all the plans being put in place for Apapa fully come on stream, the gridlock would be a thing of the past,” he said.

  • ‘Engage operators, agencies to resolve Apapa gridlock’

    The National Council of Managing Director of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA), has advised the Presidential Task Team to engage terminal operators and shipping line agencies on the need to evacuate and receive cargoes  as at when due.

    The council said the existing traffic situation on the ports access roads’ corridor can be attributed to obsolete equipment the concessionaires have, adding that the shipping companies have failed to provide the needed holding bays for empty containers.

    Its Deputy National President, Prince Adeniyi Ajayi in a chat, accused the terminal operators of frustrating efforts so put in place by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo Task Team  to ease traffic in Apapa and its environs.

    Adeeniyi alleged that most of the terminal operators in Lagos ports are short staffed, a situation he noted has created bottlenecks on the access roads. According to him, obsolete equipment and dearth of workers contributed to the delay of cargoes entry and exit from the ports.

    He, therefore, urged the Presidential Task Team,led by Kayode Opeifa, to engage the concessionaires in mapping out strategies on how to improve the traffic situation in Apapa.

    “They have not approached the real problem. Where the problem lies is thesè terminal operators, if they are operating in their full capacities, receiving empties as at when due then  loading will be seamlessly carried out. But what I notice is that when you enter into a terminal, they will show you equipment but most of the equipment are obsolete.

  • 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.

  • Okunnu: NPA should be blamed for Apapa gridlock

    The gridlock in Apapa has remained hydra-headed and seems to be defying solution. How did we get there and what is the way out?

    The present gridlock in Apapa and the chaos at the ports is a function of mismanagement by the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA). The government had the foresight and had taken steps to prevent the present situation way back in 1973. In 1973, the then Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) under General Yakubu Gowon (retired) awarded a contract to Guffanti Nigeria Limited to build the Apapa Road linking Western Avenue with the old Lagos Port. As part of the project, which I met at its commencement when I was made the Federal Commissioner for Works and Housing in May 1967, was a truck terminal to be constructed to contain 600 to 800 trucks heading for the port. This was because congestion had been building up at that time, hence, the FGN’s decision to build a truck park to ease congestion. We all know Apapa Road and the complex at the 7up junction. You have the road coming from Iddo to Apapa Causeway, up to the 7up junction, with a network of roads in that area, that is, Eko Bridge from Apongbon to Iganmu and the Apapa Road to the 7up junction leading to Apapa port on the right hand side and leading to Western Avenue on the right hand side (left to the port, right to the Western Avenue), it was necessary to have a depot for trucks going to Apapa port to carry goods to the rest of the country outside Lagos. There was a little congestion of trucks parked on the new road. We should pay tribute to the foresight of those who conceived the idea of a new road leading to the port which is the gateway to the rest of the country when the number one port (that is Apapa Port), was the Port you could see from as far as Marina across the Lagoon. I pay tribute to those before my time who planned for a container terminal so that there would be little or no congestion in one of the finest parts of the Lagos city at that time, Apapa. Then, Apapa was exclusively residential and a little bit of commercial area. So Apapa was a golden city with people living in choice houses, and people working at the ports and the commercial areas created because of the ports. There was no Victoria Island or Lekki or Ajah or Banana Island at that time.

    The truck terminal had been planned to take in the trucks for Apapa ports, and I had the singular honour of being the Federal Commissioner to construct this truck terminal. My memorandum of understanding (MoU) to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), was dated October 8, 1973, and it was headed “Apapa Road Truck Terminal”, it was presented to the FEC. The truck contract after preliminary studies of the nature of the ground where the truck terminal was to be located because it was swampy, so Westminster Dredging Company was the number one dredging company in the country involved in the reclamation of Victoria Island, was invited to do the sand filling and other things. Afterwards, the MoU was presented to the FEC for the award of a contract to take in between 600 to 800 trucks.

    The terminal was built to avoid congestion along the major roads leading to the ports at a cost of over N2 million. The truck terminal has always been part of the Apapa road –Ijora Courseway project as a necessary complement to remove the port congestion outside the port area. The terminal in addition to parking facility will have living accommodation and cafeteria for truck drivers, vehicle servicing facilities and a telephone link with Apapa Quays for coordinating request for vehicles at all times. This is to call in vehicles one by one to go in straight to the port to carry their goods so that there would be no vehicle congestion on these major roads in the country.

    Read also: Presidency to restore traffic sanity to Apapa in 14 days

    What later happened, sir?

    These facilities were built and handed over to the NPA in 1974/75. What beats my imagination is why NPA all these years of congestion building up in these areas; it is abominable and we are all suffering for it. The last time I inspected this truck terminal, I was very flabbergasted to see it as a container terminal. If you look back at many Nigerians living in Apapa, who because of the denigration of the area, moving now, makes it more saddening. I have been concerned about these structures, their life span, I have been praying that none of them will collapse like what happened in Genoa, Italy, last year.

    I have written letters to the Governor of Lagos State, the Minister of power, Works and Housing, and one to the management of NPA; until now, there has not been a response from the management of NPA. I volunteered to meet with the three authorities to see the way out of this problem of congestion because I remember very well that I built this truck terminal which has been turned into a container terminal. Six years ago, when Mr. Babatunde Fashola was still governor of Lagos, we discussed this problem of port congestion and trucks parking on the bridge and roads leading to Apapa. He asked me to show one of his commissioners where the truck terminal was; we went up and I pointed out the location to him. I was beyond words to find that the facility meant to take 600-800 trucks had been turned into a container terminal.

    In this case of Apapa gridlock, it is 100 per cent the fault of NPA which refused to use the truck terminal built and handed over to them in 1974 for the purpose for which it was built. The public should ask the NPA what it has done to the truck terminal. The NPA should also answer questions relating to why it turned the truck terminal into a container terminal. NPA caused this trouble of Apapa now making Nigerians to suffer.

    The terminal was concessioned at some point for 10 years. Presently, NPA is using the place as a truck park and implementing the call-up system. Don’t you think this is reverting to the original plan, sir?

    Oh, this is coming after how many years? From 1974 to 2019? Why was the facility concessioned to anybody for stacking containers? Why was not used for the purpose for which it was built? NPA must answer this question. The public is asking, the Apapa residents are asking, Mile 2 residents, Lagosians generally are asking this question; we have all suffered from the effect of this gridlock in Apapa. Why must we all be subjected to this problem which has affected our daily lives? Those of us that built this terminal foresaw this problem back then; it is a problem that Lagosians have been suffering from for over 10 years. NPA must answer this question to the satisfaction of the public. NPA should be sanctioned for imposing this burden on the rest of the country.

    Was the truck terminal as conceived back then meant to generate revenue for the NPA? Was there a fee to be paid by truck drivers for the usage of the facility?

    All that was to be determined by the NPA. They were to manage the facility. The facility was built for NPA to use in other to ease their business and by extension ease problems on the roads. The trucks were to be called up from the facility into the port. It is not just the present leadership of the NPA that is guilty, but even the past leadership should be brought to book on this matter. That facility should go back to what it was meant for ab initio. It cannot be a temporary measure. Repairs should be carried out on it and use it as a truck terminal and have electronic means to call in trucks to go to Tin Can Island Port.

    Should it be the responsibility of government or NPA to provide truck parks given that owners of the truck fleet are supposed to have a park for their fleet?

    NPA and the Federal Government are the same. In our time, we provided this truck terminal as a duty to the public. So if the government provided truck terminals it is serving its purpose- enhancement of the country’s economy. The government should charge a fee for the use. If a private sector is buoyant enough to provide a truck park for itself or even for the public so be it. But these trucks are not meant to line up our roads and bridges. In fact, those who do so should be sanctioned by law. But what have you done with the provision done in 1974 for the truck terminal? The fault rests squarely on the shoulders of the management of NPA.

    There are fears that this exercise of call up may be sabotaged. How can this be avoided?

    Anyone caught in an act of sabotage should be sanctioned and punished by law.

    Would you say the government has done well in tackling traffic congestion generally on our roads?

    The issue of traffic congestion has not been tackled seriously by any government all these years since the 1970s. We are paying lip service to traffic control. Talking about traffic problem generally and not this isolated case of the truck terminal, Nigeria is not serious. The problem of traffic is a failure to effectively control traffic and failure to effectively enforce the law- those are the two major problems. I have also said this over 40 years ago. In my younger days, there was an officer in charge of traffic. He was called “Fine Country.” He would be on a motorcycle and go round the city on a motorcycle, punishing and arresting traffic offender. Every inch of our road is a bus stop.

    How can the maritime industry be revamped for greater efficiency? What holistic approach should be adopted in this regard?

    Discipline! Those in charge of the operations at the and the sector are not disciplined and do not respect the laws. If they resolve to respect the maritime laws, then Nigeria will be what we dreamt of in those days. It is a lack of discipline that is the cause of all these- whether in maritime or in any other sphere of the economy, we lack discipline, patriotism.

  • Senate, NPA, NIMASA, others to meet over Apapa gridlock

    PLANS are underway to invite the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), farm tank owners, manufacturers and other relevant stakeholders over THE lingering Apapa gridlock, the Senate Committee on Works has said.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya, who dropped the hint at a meeting with management of APM Terminals in Abuja, yesterday, said the stakeholders would be invited in the coming weeks.

    He further said they are to attend the meeting to find lasting solution to the problem.

    Gaya, who said the challenge had become an embarrassment to the country, noted that only concerted efforts would bring about lasting solution.

    He said: “We are expanding the committee to include, Senate Committee on Marine Transport and by next week, we will invite NPA and NIMASA to take a holistic look at the matter.

    Read also: Apapa gridlock, excessive charges take toll on cashew

    “We will also invite all owners of terminals, manufacturers, tank farm owners and other stakeholders to the meeting.

    “We cannot wait for one person to find solution to the problem. We have to work together as a team.”

    He expressed concern that unlike in the past, where terminal operators cleared up to 750 containers a day, “today, with less business, some of the few containers brought to the terminal for clearing spend close to three weeks.”

    He further decried that in some situations, before containers arrived the terminals, the ships had departed, adding that many exporters lost millions of Naira in the process.

    The APM Terminal Managing Director, Mr. Martins Jacob, said the problem was multifaceted, adding that  unless it was tackled holistically, no significant impact would be made.

    Jacob, who identified one of the major challenges was lack of access roads, said the bad road condition and absence of an efficient traffic management system were part of the problem.

    He also said that issues such as identifying and allowing only truckers with valid transactions into the port area as well as monitoring and removing idling or broken down trucks from the ports access roads were a challenge.

    The APM chief said: “Poor state of trucks coming to the port which makes it difficult to service them, cause  a number of breakdowns affecting the terminal operations.

    “Fatigue on the part of the drivers after the long wait on the port access road also has potentials to cause accident leading to more gridlock.”

  • Senate set to invite NPA, NIMASA, others, over Apapa gridlock

    The Senate Committee on Works says plans are underway to invite the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) in the coming week over lingering Apapa gridlock.

    The Chairman of the committee, Sen. Kabiru Gaya, made this known in a meeting with management of APM Terminals in Abuja on Thursday.

    He further said, NIMASA, farm tank owners, manufacturers and other relevant stakeholders have been invited to attend the meeting aimed at finding lasting solution to the problem.

    Gaya who said the challenge had become an embarrassment to the country, noted that only concerted efforts would bring about lasting solution.

    “We are expanding the committee to include,  Senate Committee on Marine Transport and by next week,  we will invite NPA and NIMASA to take a holistic look at the matter.

    “We will also invite all owners of terminals, manufacturers, tank farm owners and other stakeholders to the meeting.

    “We cannot wait for one person to find solution to the problem. We have to work together as a team,” he said.

    He expressed concern that unlike in the past, where terminal operators cleared up to 750 containers a day, “today, with less business, some of the few containers brought to the terminal for clearing spend close to three weeks.”

    He further decried that in some situations, before containers arrived the terminals. the ships had departed, adding that many exporters lost millions of Naira in the process.

    The lawmaker said corruption was one of the major factors responsible for the problem.

    He said, “we have to change the system. Nigeria has to be out of this kind of problem. We need to fight corruption and ensure that the common man gets what he needs to get.”

    “The most worrisome is that when containers are delayed at the port, the exporters pay more.

    “The Vice President has visited that place twice and when we were in Lagos for oversight, we discussed it with the Vice President  and he was very worried.

    ” It is unfortunate that some Nigerians who do not want the progress of this country are benefitting so much from this.

    “If you take a ratio of N100,000 being paid by about 100,000 trucks that are parked on the road per say, it means N100 million Naira is being realised daily.

    “That is corruption. We just have to fight it and I agree with what President Muhammadu Buhari said that we have to fight corruption else it will kill the country,” he said.

    Gaya, expressed  optimism that the trailer park currently under construction in Lagos would soon be completed.

    He added that it would commence operation,  everything being equal in June, stressing that it would  help ease congestion while bringing succour to motorists.

    On the meeting with APM, Gaya said it was a followup on recent oversight embarked upon by the committee to Lagos on the gridlock.

    He said APM terminals operators have made their presentation and submitted relevant documents as requested by the committee for scrutiny.

    He noted that the company would be expected in next week’s meeting, to help proffer solution to the problem.

    Earlier, the Managing Director of APM Terminal, Mr Martins Jacob, said the problem was multifaceted, adding that  unless it was tackled holistically, no significant impact would be made.

    He said one of the major challenges was lack of access roads.

    Jacob said the bad road condition and absence of an efficient traffic management system were part of the problem.

    He also said that issues such as  identifying and allowing only truckers with valid transactions into the port area as well as monitoring and removing idling or broken down trucks from the ports access roads were a challenge.

    “Poor state of trucks coming to the port which makes it difficult to service them, cause  a number of breakdowns affecting the terminal operations.

    “Fatigue on the part of the drivers after the long wait on the port access road also has potentials to cause accident leading to more gridlock,” he said.

    The managing director,  stressed that “absence of pre-advised information of container visit through the state to the quay” was also a major challenge that needed to be tackled.

    On allegations that the company contributed to the problem by resorting to manual system in clearing containers, the managing director said it was not true.

    He said the company’s clearance system was fully automated, adding that  it only resorted to manual  for only about two hours, some weeks ago when they had minor challenges.

    He added that, “sometimes we stop transaction when the outbound traffic is not moving.”

    APM Terminals is a company that designs, builds and operates port and terminal facilities.

    It also provides cargo Inland Services for cargo transportation between port facilities and inland locations, as well as other associated cargo handling functions.(NAN)

  • Apapa gridlock, excessive charges take toll on cashew

    Cashew exporters are struggling to get international buyers for cashew nuts as a result of delays in shipment caused by congestion on Apapa Port access  road.

    As a result of the gridlock on the major road leading to the port, some cashew traders said they defaulted on contract and ability to meet up with buyers or get fresh contracts.

    The National Publicity Secretary, National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN), Anga Sotonye said exporters were having difficulty fulfilling their contractual obligations.

    He however commended the Federal Government for mobilising agencies at the port to ensure that cashew shipment at the ports is given prority.

    He told The Nation that the biggest frustration is coming from cashew farmers in Kogi, the highest cashew producing state in the country, exporting about 100 metric tons out of the 220 metric tons of cashew nuts exported by the entire country annually.

    Farmers, traders, merchants and other investors in the cashew industry in Kogi State faced a major glut and poor turnover resulting in heavy losses put at over N50 billion last year farming season.

    Despite this, the state government has instituted various charges ranging from N5000 to N30,000.

    For instance, he said cashew dealers were being made to buy Kogi jute bag at a high rate of N1000 per bag instead of the N470 per bag in favour of the state government.

  • Apapa gridlock: Senate committe gives owners two weeks to clear trucks, trailers

    The Senate Committe on Works has issued a two week ultimatum to truck owners,  Nigerian Port Authority and other agencies to remove every  truck/trailer causing traffic jam on Apapa-Wharf and Apapa-Oshodi roads.

    Besides, one-week deadline was given to the contractor handling trailers’ park at Tincan Port to complete the project for commissioning and immediate use.

    Also, other agencies handling various  logistics operations at the Apapa port were issued another one-week ultimatum to brace up.

    In what he described as “a national embarrassment” for trailers to turn bridges and major roads leading to the port to parks,  the Senate Committe Chairman, Senator Kabiru Gaya, warned that if there is no positive response after two weeks,  the committee would take a definite action and compel the Federal Government to do something drastic.

    Gaya, who led other senators on the committee like Barnabas Gemade, Clifford Ordia and Mao Ohambuwa on a fact finding mission to Lagos to seek a solution to the Apapa traffic jam, said they had come to sit with all stakeholders to provide immediate solutions to the gridlock.

    He said :” Let me say for two weeks, we will see positive response. If we don’t, we will take our action and  I can assure you that the federal government  will do something drastic.”

    On the automatic call up system for trailers,  Gaya stated that government was trying to get temporary parking spaces for trailers to ease traffic, calling on agencies that are concerned with trucks’ clearance to speed up the process by automating  their system of operations.

    He bemoaned alleged  illegal taxes levied on truck drivers for parking , calling on the security agencies to desist from the act.

    As part of measures to ease Apapa gridlock,  Gaya said a small committee has been set up  to submit report to the Senate Committe within four days.

    He wants NPA and other agencies to give waivers to shippers so that other ports such as Warri and Port Harcourt ports could be attractive for use.

    During the emergency meeting  on decongestion of traffic jam in Apapa in Lagos, stakeholders such as representatives from NPA, truck drivers’ associations, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority,  Federal Roads Safety Commission and shippers spoke on causes of the gridlock and how to nib it in the bud.

    Inadequate loading bays by ship owners, bottleneck procedures of clearance, multiple check points by the Nigerian Customs and decadence of port infrastructure were listed as factors responsible for trailers gridlock on Apapa road.

    General Manager Security, NPA,  Captain Iheanacho Ebubeogu , stated what his agency was doing to fast track trailer clearance,  calling on other companies to comply with modus of its operation at the port.

    Director of Work in the South west urged owners of trailers to remove them from the road and park them in designated locations.