Apapa Gridlock: Lagos Denies Allegation of Racketeering

By Segun James

The Lagos State Government has debunked allegation of racketeering by its officials deployed to address the perennial traffic gridlock at the port access road at Apapa, Lagos.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News Channel, the Senior Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Central Business District and Head of Operation, Apapa Traffic Management and Enforcement Team, Mr. Sola Giwa, said the port authorities have designated a parking space and a ticket payment portal to reduce the gridlock in Apapa.

The Apapa Traffic Management and Enforcement Committee has also activated the Electronic Call-Up System (ETO) designed to sequence and batch trucks coming into Apapa and Tincan Island ports.

Set up by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to address the perennial traffic gridlock in Apapa area, he maintained that the committee was winning the war against traffic congestion and extortion of truck owners and drivers in the axis with the ETO.

He said there has been great improvement compared to the situation of things nine months ago during the manual call up system, where trucks going to the ports usually caused heavy traffic from Onipanu to Apapa and from Cele bus stop to Tincan Island areas of Lagos respectively.

Giwa explained: “Racketeering in Apapa is a false accusation. For those who said they have been collecting money from them, we want to see the evidence and we take it up. You can make a video of anyone that wants to collect money from you.

“The arrangement is for traffic management on the road and not what happens in the port. The simple truth about racketeering is that stalkers still want to come to port following the due process.

“They book and pay for their ticket and they start coming even when there is no available space for them. What we did was that we created a time-belt for the category of trucks that wanted to come to the port, but they ignored them, so they decided to come to the port anytime.

“Basically, what we had before now was a manual collection. We have one lane going into Apapa, and someone who has 50 trucks will want to bring in all the trucks and that’s how the issue of gridlock started. As I speak now, there is no static traffic in Apapa. The NPA has approved parks where these trucks move into. You can from the comfort of your home book a ticket, state the terminal you are going to, then you are allotted a particular park and from there you will be called to the terminal and that has been what is working in Apapa.”

Giwa also attributed some of the challenges hindering flow of transportation at the ports areas to those known as ‘Movers’ who according to him were fighting hard to frustrate the Electronic Call-Up System because they are not comfortable with the new system, which has stopped their corrupt practices.

He said parts of the measures put in place by the enforcement committee to address traffic congestion is creating ‘time-belt’ for different categories of trucks – export containers, empty containers, flat beds, manufacturing, and oil and gas – to move at different times in and out of the ports.

Giwa said the major challenges facing the port were bad roads and stalkers who visit the port unscheduled.

He added that there have been ongoing meetings with constituted authorities to get the bad road fixed and eradicate stalkers from Apapa.

“I must say that for Tincan Island, we have issues. We have met with representatives of the federal government, ministry of works and it’s going to take time to fix the road. Secondly for the stalkers, they should go to the designated truck parks,” he said.

While commending efforts made by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Apapa gridlock, he also mentioned that the Lekki Deep Sea Port when completed would change the narrative.

“The mandate the governor gave us was that the people of Apapa must be able to move in for their business conveniently at every hour and the chairman has given us his support and we are working on it.

“We know the capacity has been overstretched right now. We have about 3600 trucks going to the port every day and if there is any single breakdown, it causes a lot of traffic.

“Lagos is working on the Lekki Deep Sea Port which will change the narratives. There are still other trucks too, why they have not been used, I don’t know,” he added.