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Tag: Apapa gridlock

  • Lagos-Ibadan rail will solve Apapa gridlock, says FRSC chief

    THE  Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge will ease traffic on Apapa roadwhen completed, a Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) official said yesterday.

    Lagos State Sector Commander Mr Hyginus Omeje, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the rail line would help reduce the influx of articulated vehicles into Apapa and its environs.

    “The new Lagos-Ibadan rail line, when completed, will help us resolve the Apapa gridlock.

    “The train will help in evacuating the containers in bulk instead of using trucks to pick them, thereby reducing traffic at the Apapa Port,” he said.

    According to him, one train can take about 20 to 30 containers off the port to either Ogun or Oyo state to decongest the Apapa community.

    “Through that we can start having dry port somewhere in Oyo, Ogun and other neighbouring states,” he said.

    The FRSC chief  said  the development would reduce the number of trucks coming into Lagos daily.

    He said  the project would also reduce the volume of traffic on Lagos-Ibadan expressway, adding that this would curb crashes in the corridor.

    Omeje advised motorists to drive safely and consider other road users to avoid crashes.

    He appealed to motorists to shun speed, drink driving and other habits that could cause accidents during festivities.

    NAN reports that the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) said it had started transporting containers from Apapa Port to Ebute Metta and Ijoko on the outskirts of Ogun State to ease gridlock in Apapa.

    NRC Lagos Railway District Manager Mr Jerry Oche said the operations were initiated to ease congestion in  Apapa Port.

    Oche said the corporation had developed a time table for freight movements to either NRC Ebute Metta junction terminal or to Ijoko in Ogun.

    “We have concentrated on moving containers from Apapa to Ijoko to curb traffic in Apapa and its environs.

    “We have time table and schedules for our two trips of 20 containers each per day.

    “About 40 containers were being transported to Ebute Metta terminal on daily basis to keep off trailers, trucks and all articulated vehicles from the road,’’ Oche said.

    According to him, apart from ship, train mass transit has the capacity to transport freight from one area to another without delay or damage.

    He said the corporation had discussed with three stakeholders dealing with freight at Apapa Port on the new services by the NRC.

    Oche said the freight shuttle services would reduce accidents and  the heavy traffic caused by articulated vehicles due to break down on the roads.

    The district manager said  the shuttle services would also go beyond Ijoko and be extended to Kajola and other terminus along Abeokuta axis.

    Minister of Transportation Mr Rotimi Amaechi had said  the Federal Government would deliver the Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge project in December, this year.

    Amaechi spoke at Papalanto in Ogun State during his monthly visit and oversight functions at the construction site on December 12.

    According to him, the government is urging the Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) to fast-track the project for the benefit of the people by 2018.

     

  • Reps ask NNPC to relocate tank farms over Apapa gridlock

    Reps ask NNPC to relocate tank farms over Apapa gridlock

    THE House of Representatives yesterday called the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to immediately begin the process of relocating tank farms in the Apapa axis in a bid to eliminate the gridlock on the Lagos port road.

    The lawmakers resolution was sequel to the passage of a motion brought under Matter of Urgent Public Importance by a member, Hon. Ayodeji Joseph (APC-Lagos).

    The House also mandated its Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to liaise with NNPC with the view to ensure that only tankers with Authority to Load (ATL) were allowed to go into Apapa.

    The committee is also mandated to interface with Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to put pressure on the contractor handling the truck park at Tin Can Island to ensure timely completion of the site.

    Joseph, while moving the motion, noted that several interventions of Lagos State among others to free the zone of traffic jams had failed. He appealed to members to grant the prayers of his motion.

    He said: “The House notes that the perennial traffic gridlock in Apapa has not subsisted despite efforts of government to find a permanent solution to it.

    “Those economic and vehicular activities in the corridor, which is a major gateway to the nation’s foremost seaport, has been adversely affected by the menace.

    “In the first two weeks of September alone, over 2,000 trailers, trucks and oil tankers had massively flooded Ikorodu road all through to Apapa in a bid to get into the port and tank farms to convey commodities to their various destinations.

    “In response to the recent blockage of all access roads to Apapa and the intractable traffic gridlock that resulted from it, the Lagos State Government ordered all trailers, trucks and oil tankers to stay off all the roads within the state.

    “The House is further aware that Lagos State government has mobilised resources to ensure articulated vehicles stay away from Lagos until the traffic logjam is resolved while the representative of Apapa Constituency 1 in the State Assembly, Mrs. Mojisola Miranda, has also raised concerns about the problem.

    “The House is concerned that breakdown of operations at Apapa port is touted as the cause of the gridlock, which extended from Apapa to Ojuelegba, with its attendant dislocation of economic activities.

    “If something urgent is not done, port activities will be in jeopardy and revenue to the nation’s coffers will dwindle astronomically.”

    Other lawmakers, who spoke in favour of the motion, include: James Faleke, chairman, House Committee on Customs and Excise; Rita Orji, chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Affairs and Jide Jimoh (APC-Lagos.

    Similarly, in another motion, the House mandated its Committee on Ports, Harbours and Waterways to investigate the cause of the dislocation in port operations, which is suspected to have led to the renewed gridlock and report back to the House within three weeks for further legislative action.

  • Council boss vows to tackle Apapa gridlock

    NEWLY elected Apapa local government chairman, Owolabi Adele, has assured his administration will tackle the protracted traffic congestion in the axis.
    He spoke after taking the oath of office at the Local Government Secretariat, Apapa, Lagos.
    Adele said a one-lane parking plan will be enforced for all tanker drivers to maintain.
    He stated any driver who disobeys the parking order would be prosecuted.
    The council boss said: “whoever misbehaves will be arrested to face the wrath of the law.
    “We’ll detain them and will only be released after signing an undertaken not to flout the law again.
    “Although we don’t have the right to shutdown any company whose tanker driver flouts the law, we will impound the vehicle and until the owner pays the necessary fine, we will not release it.”
    He revealed security measures would be put in place to checkmate any possible flout of the order by the drivers.
    “We’ll ensure that all the tankers and trucks coming into Apapa maintain a-one lane policy.
    “I believe within four months in office this traffic situation will be a thing of the past,”Adele assured.

  • Nigeria loses N140b weekly to Apapa gridlock, says Dangote

    Nigeria loses N140b weekly to Apapa gridlock, says Dangote

    The President, Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote yesterday said the Federal Government loses about N140billion weekly because of the deplorable condition of the Apapa ports access roads.

    He, however lauded, the government’s decision to reconstruct the failed Apapa Wharf road.

    Dangote said: “The economy loses more than N20 billion daily. It affects businesses across the country. All our operations in the hinterland in Ilorin, in Kano are operating at 40 per cent maximum capacity.

    “Today, there is no linkage road going from Southwest to the North. You have to go all the way through Ajaokuta, Obajana, Lokoja and you have to go by that uncompleted road Obasanjo started 13 years ago.”

    Commenting on his resolve to personally get involved in the Apapa Wharf road reconstruction, he said: “It is very embarrassing! We can’t just sit and have a road like that where it is the heart of the trade of the country. More than 60 per cent of our country’s import and exports come through the port and we leave it un-attended to. That is why we started on our own. Flour Mills said they will join us, but now government changed the design because they want all the cables and pipes underground and to have a more robust solution.”

    To help in bringing the cost down, he explained that he forced his company to do it at zero profit. According to him, “Both Dangote and Flour Mills are pumping in over N2.5billion for 2km double lane on each side making a total of 4km”.

    He further explained that the biggest job “is drainage because that is what is destroying the road. We will make sure this problem is sorted out once and for all. This thing should not be allowed to happen. We started discussion with the government over oner year and we are happy that we have been given the opportunity to finally fix it.”

    The Federal Government had over the weekend, handed over the troubled road to Dangote Industries Limited and Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN) for immediate reconstruction with concrete overlay.

    The memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the construction of the road was signed by the Federal Government, DIL, Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) and the Federal Ministry of Works.

    Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) signed the agreement for the handover of the road, on behalf of the Federal Government, while  the Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Usman,and Joseph Makoju, honorary advisor to Aliko Dangote, signed for their respective organisations. The three organisations are embarking on the project as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) to Apapa, where they all do business.

  • Apapa gridlock worries NPA

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Bala Usman, has expressed concern over the Apapa gridlock, which hinders access to the ports.

    At a stakeholders’meeting in her office, she said the bad roads were killing trade facilitation  and affecting the delivery of cargoes.

    She said ports infrastructure must be revamped to revive to the economy.

    NPA, according to her, was not happy that measures adopted so far have not  yielded result. She promised what she called positive action soon.

    Usman said the quick rehabilitation of the road was her team’s  priority in salvaging the economy.

    Receiving the report on traffic decongestion of Apapa  and  environ,  she appealed to Dangote Construction Nig. Ltd and  Flour Mills Nig. Ltd to expedite action on reconstruction of Wharf road as the rain is almost over.

    Usman appealed to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, and members of the National Assembly to include the reconstruction of Creek Road linking Tin Can Island port in the 2017 budget. This, she said, would hasten the completion of the trailer park opposite the Tin-Can Port.

    She said the Federal Government, states and stakeholders should work together to find solution to the problem.

    She urged port users to submit to security checks at the gates leading to the ports and warned all unauthorised persons ports to stay off the ports or face sanctions.

    NPA, she said, would soon introduce measures that will make it impossible for those without genuine business to access the ports.

  • Apapa gridlock killing trade facilitation programme – NPA

    The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Ms Hadiza Usman, said the traffic gridlock in Apapa had affected access into the ports and killing trade facilitation programme of government.

    According to a statement by NPA on Monday in Lagos, Usman said this at a stakeholders meeting held in her office.

    She said that the bad access roads into Apapa was killing the trade facilitation programme of the government and had affected the smooth delivery of cargoes to importers.

    “NPA is not happy that all modalities and measures adopted so far have not translated into quick cargo movement in and out of the ports,” the News Agency of Nigeria  (NAN)  quotes the managing director as saying.

    She told the stakeholders that a positive action would be taken by the NPA in the interest of all and the economy.

    Usman told the stakeholders that “the quick rehabilitation of the road remains a priority to her team to reposition the ports and salvage the economy’’.

    She received the report on traffic decongestion of Apapa and its environs.

    The managing director appealed to Messrs Dangote Construction Nig. Ltd and the Management of Flour Mills Nig Ltd. to expedite action toward an early reconstruction of Wharf Road.

    Usman also appealed to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and members of the National Assembly to include the reconstruction of Creek Road linking Tin-Can Island Port in the 2017 budget.

    She said the minister and the lawmakers should help to see to the quick completion of the trailer park opposite the Tin-Can Port to keep the trucks away from the road.

    Usman also called for synergy between the Federal and State Governments as well as the stakeholders to find a permanent solution to the perennial gridlock on the road.

    She urged port users to always subject themselves to security checks at the gates leading to the ports and warned that unauthorised persons intruding into the ports should stop or face sanctions.

    The managing director said that NPA would soon introduce measures that would make it impossible for those without genuine business to access the ports.

    Usman said NPA would continue to hold meetings with stakeholders to workout modalities on measures to be adopted to resolve the gridlock in the interest of all stakeholders and the nation’s economy.

    She said the Federal Government was determined to find a lasting solution to the chaotic traffic situation along Apapa axis.

    Usman said that efforts were being made by the Federal Government and the NPA to improve and sustain efficient road transport network within and around the ports.

    The managing director said that government would promote trade, improve cargo delivery and boost the economy.

    In another development, the Commandant, 9th Infantry Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Sani Mohammed has appealed to the managing director to visit the widows of the soldiers of the Brigade, who lost their lives in the on-going Nigerian military’s counter insurgency campaign in the North Eastern part of the country.

    Mohammed made the plea during a courtesy visit to the NPA managing director’s office in Lagos.

    He said there should be a visit by the NPA boss to see the widows to use her advocacy work to better the lots of the widows, whom their breadwinners died fighting to conquer the insurgents.

    “Considering all she did with the BringBackOurGirls Campaign, we would want her to come and see our widows and employ her advocacy initiative to better their lots,’’ Mohammed said.

    “I know the managing director when she was fighting for the abducted Chibok girls. Considering all she did with the BringBackOurGirls, we want her to come and see our widows,’’ he said.

    Mohammed said that the Brigade, having taken part in all Nigeria’s military campaigns at home and abroad, was also part of the security apparatus in Lagos tagged: ‘Operation Mensa’.

    He said that the Brigade was extending its hand of fellowship and relationship to the ports authority with a view to exploring ways it could add value to the security of the Nigerian ports industry.

    Responding, Usman, who was represented at the event by the Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Dr Sokonte Davies, said the advocacy works of the managing director, was a passion which she inherited from her parents.

    “The managing director’s advocacy works were not what she just learnt but what she saw her father doing, so it is in her.

    “I believe that she will really find time to visit the widows of the soldiers, who lost their lives in the counter-insurgency campaign,’’ Davies said.

     

  • Fashola urged to address Apapa gridlock

    Fashola urged to address Apapa gridlock

    The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) and importers have urged the Minister of Power,Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, to come up with a master plan to address the intractable Apapa, Lagos, gridlock.

    The gridlock, according to the stakeholders, has bocome a common feature of the area with its toll on trucks, cars and other vehicles whuch often break down.

    At a forum organised by the importers and clearing agents in Lagos, at the week-end, the group  urged Fashola to call a stakeholders’ meeting where he would unfold his plan  to address the gridlock.

    Fashola, as a former Governor of Lagos State, the National President of ANLCA, Prince Olayiwola Shittu said, needs to tell Lagosians what the Federal Government intends to do over the pathetic condition of the roads.

    The Federal Government, Shittu said, makes billions of naira from the ports daily.

    Investigation by The Nation revealed that Apapa and Tin-Can Customs generate, respectively, over N1 billion daily from the ports. The amount excludes what NPA, NIMASA, SON, Shippers Council and other agencies make.

    Shittu said vehicular congestion, which is the cause of the gridlock, has added to the cost of clearing goods, besides driving away businesses from the area.

    He alleged that importers were diverting cargoes to neighbouring countries because of the gridlock; new investors were being discouraged from the area and residents have started looking for homes outside Apapa.

    “The roads leading to the Apapa ports have collapsed and Lagosians and other port users expect Fashola as a former governor of the state to bring the issue to the front burner at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. But there is no evidence that he has done that because the roads have become worse than before his appointment. And this was the man that was telling the former President Jonathan to solve the problem when he was the governor. But now that he is the minister in charge of the road, why is he not addressing the issue?

    “In Apapa alone, there are about 60 petroleum tank farms for storage of petroleum products, which account for 90 per cent of the total imported products into the country. All these, as well as other maritime-related businesses like freight, clearing and forwarding easily make Apapa a hub of maritime activities.”

    Apapa, Shittu said, is not only reputed for maritime activities. Manufacturers took advantage of the ports to site companies in the suburb.

    Apart from manufacturing companies like Dangote Sugar Refinery, BUA Group, Honeywell, he lamented that other businesses have shut down because of the gridlock.

    “The real problem is that government is making a huge amount of money from the ports without the necessary infrastructural development. It is sad that many businesses have closed down because the owners cannot get to their offices and Fashola is happy to be there as Minister without addressing the problem.

    “No wonder, tanker drivers are now moving their trucks into residential buildings. The result is the chaotic situation we are facing in the area which we want Fashola as the minister saddled with that responsibility to address.

    The Publicity Secretary of motor vehicle importers in the area, Mr Felix Ayinla, also urged Fashola to rehabilitate the roads and address the perennial gridlock.

    He noted that the problem has impacted on cargo turn-around time and the cost of doing business.

    “Nobody needs to tell Fashola that Lagos port is the gateway to the nation’s economy and that he must see it as such. What we expect from him and the Federal Government is to open up the roads leading to the Lagos ports to make it attractive for business. Why must we face difficulties in moving goods in and out of the ports?

    “The Federal government has what it takes to make our ports the hub in the sub-region and now is the time for Fashola to lead the country in achieving that,” he added.

  • Apapa gridlock: Senate to the rescue

    Apapa gridlock: Senate to the rescue

    The Senate Committee on Marine Transport visited the Lagos Port Complex and the Tin-Can Island Ports to assess the impact of the gridlock that has done much damage to business on the access roads. At a meeting with the committee by government agencies and stakeholders, how to tackle the gridlock was discussed, reports Maritime Correspondent OLUWAKEMI DAUDA.

    THE Senate Committee on Maritime Transport has visited the Lagos Port Complex and the Tin Can Island Ports to assess the impact of the gridlock that has for long crippled the roads leading to the facilities. Led by its Chairman, Senator Ahmed Sanni Yerima, the committee had a feel of the gridlock as its convoy was trapped in the traffic.

    The c  ommittee members which were Senators Kabiru Gaya; Ighoyota Amori; Isiaka Adeleke; Theodore Orji; Clifford Ordia and others, were forced to drive against the traffic from Liverpool end of the road to the port.

    After passing through the second entrance of the Tin Can Ports, their vehicle got stuck in between the container-laden trailers. At this point the lawmakers alighted from their vehicle to assess the failed portion of the road

    After the assessment, the vehicles could not move forward or make a u-turn, but had to reverse under a very dangerous condition.

    Seeing the problem they were faced with, one of the lawmakers lamented: “This is a disgrace to our country. I didn’t know that the situation in Apapa is as bad as this. There is an urgent need for us to address this problem because this is where the government makes a lot of money.”

    The Committee Chairman could not agree less. Describing the situation as “a serious national disaster” which must be tackled, Senator Yetima said the gridlock had severe consequences not only on the road users and the state, but also on the national economy.

     

    Govt agencies make

    presentations

     

    At a stakeholders’meeting with the lawmakers, the Managing Director, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Malam Habib Abdullahi called for the revival of the rail system, noting that efficient rail lines connecting the ports with other states would decongest the ports and reduce the pressure on the Lagos roads.

    The NPA boss urged the Committee to look not just at the ports, but at other issues that contributed to the menace. Abdullahi said there was the need to import petroleum products through ports outside Lagos.

    On his part, the Acting Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Pastor Haruna Baba Jauro, lamented the effect of the gridlock on the economy. He complained that staff productivity had also been affected, as many are emotionally and physically drained and harassed by armed robbers on their way to and from work.

    The NIMASA boss bemoaned a situation where staff of the agency are forced to sleep in the hotels at Apapa because of the gridlock.

    The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr. Hassan Bello, corroborated NPA’s position and lent his voice to a trucking policy that would set standards and regulations.

    According o him, between 5,000 and 7,000 trucks ply the Apapa corridor daily, when the roads could only support  between 2,000 and 3,000 trucks. The remaining numbers, he said, constitute nuisance by causing the gridlock in the area.

    The NSC boss called for the immediate repair of all the failed sections of the road, registration of trucks coming to Apapa under a company name, install electronic gate system and call-up cards and institute a sound legal framework.

     

    Loading bay

     

    Another way out of the Apapa gridlock, according to Bello, is the construction of loading bay or parking lots for trucks coming into the ports to pick consignments or drop empty containers.

    It is on record that most of the trucks parked along the port access roads such as Wharf, Commercial and Creek Roads are laden with empty containers. Many of the drivers of such trucks use the roads leading to the port for parking their vehicles, thereby reducing the space meant for other road users.

     

    Agents urge Buhari to

    address gridlock

     

    Speaking with The Nation after the stakeholders’meeting with the lawmakers, the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) urged President Muhammadu Buhari to address the gridlock on the major roads leading to Apapa Ports in Lagos.

    Its National President, Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu, said vehicular congestion, which is at the root of the gridlock, has added to the cost of clearing goods from the port, besides driving away businesses in the area.

    He pointed out that importers were diverting their cargoes to neighbouring countries because of the gridlock, while new investors are being discouraged from coming to the area. Residents, it was said, are also looking for homes outside the area.

    Shittu said Apapa is not only reputed for maritime activities, manufacturers have also taken advantage of the ports to site companies in the suburbs for quick access to imported raw materials and for easy export.

     

    Stakeholders record N5b

    loss daily

     

    The gridlock takes toll on the Federal Government and relevant stakeholders with daily revenue loss estimated at N5 billion. The gridlock hampers free movement of goods and persons, with tanker drivers converting major access roads into Apapa ports to parking lots.

    Consequently, containers, which ought to have been cleared and evacuated from the ports still litter various terminals, accumulating demurrage. Vessels are also stranded on the high seas as there is no room at the terminals to discharge cargoes.

    ANLCA spokesman, Dr. Kayode Farinto, while speaking with The Nation on the poor state of the ports said agents have given the Federal Government a 30-day ultimatum to address the situation or risk the ports being shut down in protest. According to him, the N5 billion daily loss is only a conservative estimate, pointing out that a lot of businesses located in Apapa have folded up since workers can no longer access their working places.

     

    Solutions

     

    The Chairman, Seaport Terminal Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Victoria Haastrup, said the gridlock being experienced in Apapa is a direct consequence of system failure in the oil and gas industry logistics chain.

    Haastrup, who is also the Executive Vice Chairman of ENL Consortium Limited, operators of Terminals C and D, Lagos Port Complex Apapa, said the only way to solve the gridlock is to immediately suspend the lifting of imported petroleum products from tank farms in Apapa by road.

    “There must be immediate suspension of the evacuation of petroleum products from Apapa by road. The authorities must immediately activate the use of barges for petroleum products evacuation. Petroleum products meant for the northern part of the country should be moved to Lokoja and Baro Ports by barges while the trucks collect them from there rather than coming to Apapa,” she said.

     

    Indiscipline

     

    For Senator Ordia, another way to tackle the gridlock is to address the indiscipline of motorists on the roads, especially drivers of old vehicles. He said because of the indiscipline and unruly behaviour of the drivers, all lanes on both sides of the roads are occupied. “They are the kings of the roads. They do not bother about any other road user,” he said.

    The Senator also observed that drivers use these roads as makeshift toilet facilities. They also drive against the traffic and cross the demarcation and embankment separating the two lanes of the roads at will. Apart from being an eyesore, he said the sorry situation gives the country a negative image.

    Senator Yerima added: “We have noticed the challenge and we believe that this is not only affecting the operations of the port and residents in Lagos, but the entire economy.

    “We hope that at the end of this interaction we are going to come up with a permanent solution…we will look at the short term, the medium term and at the end of the day, our objective is to achieve a permanent solution.”

    He promised that whatever the Committee is able to take along to the Senate, it has resolved to pursue to a logical conclusion. He also assured that in a bid to provide a lasting solution to the gridlock, the government would mobilise contractors building the 500-truck capacity holding bay opposite the Tin Can port so that work can resume immediately.

  • •Govt hails Senator Tinubu’s motion on Apapa gridlock

    •Govt hails Senator Tinubu’s motion on Apapa gridlock

    Lagos State Government has praised Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her motion on easing the Apapa traffic gridlock.

    It has appealed to the National Assembly to hasten hearing on the motion to bring relief to the public, especially those using the road and Apapa residents.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy Steve Ayorinde yesterday hailed the Senate for accepting the motion.

    Ayorinde said the development was heart-warming, noting that it shows the government’s effort at addressing the problem has caught the Senate’s attention.

    The Senate’s intervention, he said, would complement the government’s moves in finding lasting solution to the gridlock and lessening the people’s hardship.

  • Buhari urged to address Apapa gridlock

    Buhari urged to address Apapa gridlock

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged by the  Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) to address the traffic gridlock on the major roads leading to the Apapa Ports in Lagos.

    Its National President, Alhaji Olayiwola Shittu, said vehicular congestion, which is at the root of the gridlock, has added to the cost of clearing goods from the port, besides driving away businesses in the area.

    He alleged that importers were diverting their cargoes to neighbouring countries because of the gridlock, new investors were being discouraged from going to the area and residents were looking for homes outside Apapa.

    “In Apapa alone, there are about 60 petroleum tank farms for storage of petroleum products, which account for 90 per cent of the total imported products into the country. All these, as well as other maritime-related businesses like freight, clearing and forwarding easily make Apapa a hub of maritime activities.

    Apapa, Shittu said, is not only reputed for maritime activities. Manufacturers, he said, have taken advantage of the ports to site companies in the suburb for quick access to imported raw materials and for easy export.

    Apart from manufacturing companies like Dangote Sugar Refinery, BUA Group, Honeywell, he lamented that other businesses have shut down because of the gridlock.

    “The real problem is that government is making a huge amount of money from the ports without the necessary infrastructural development. It is sad that many businesses have closed down because the owners cannot get to their offices.

    Tanker drivers are now moving their trucks into residential buildings. The result is the chaotic situation we are facing in the area which we want the new President to address.

    The Publicity Secretary of  motor vehicle importers in the area, Mr Felix Ayinla, also urged President Buhari to pay attention to the rehabilitation and opening up of the roads leading to the ports and address the perennial gridlock.

    He noted that the problem has impacted negatively on cargo turnaround time and the cost of doing business.

    “Lagos port is the gateway to the nation’s economy and the new government must see it as such. So the changes we are expecting from President Buhari  is to open up the roads leading to the Lagos ports to make it attractive for business. Why must we hface difficulties in moving goods in and out of the ports?

    “The Federal government has what it takes to make our ports the hub in the sub-region and now is the time to achieve that,” he added.