Osinbajo Chairs Presidential Task Force to Decongest Apapa Ports in Two Weeks
*LASTMA to take over from Navy, others in traffic management
*NPA ordered to ensure all truck parks working
*Trucks, tankers given 72 hours to leave the road
The Federal Government has set up a Special Task Force headed by the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to decongest Apapa and its environ in two weeks.
The idea is to allow free flow of traffic within the environment.
Following this, operators of trucks and tankers have been given 72 hours to clear them out of the road.
In a statement signed by the media aide to the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande, the government said the gridlock has continued to affect ports operation as well as discomfort residents in Apapa.
The statement said the NPA was ordered to ensure the immediate use of the Lilypond Terminal and Trailer Park A to accommodate trucks.
According to the statement, the measure was reached after an emergency meeting convened by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 25 in respect of the problem.
Part of the statement reads: “A presidential directive has been issued for the immediate clearing up of the Apapa gridlock and the restoration of law and order to Apapa and its environs within two weeks. The directive mandates the immediate removal of all trucks from the bridges and roads within Apapa and all adjoining streets leading into the Apapa axis.
“To facilitate this important assignment, operators of trucks and tankers have also been directed to vacate the port access roads within the next 72 hours.
“This directive follows an emergency meeting convened by President Muhammadu Buhari and chaired by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) on the 25th of April, 2019. The meeting proffered lasting solutions to the gridlock around the Lagos ports, as the traffic congestion has continued to restrict all operations and livelihood in the area”.
The Task Force is expected to file progress report to the President on the assignment in two weeks.
The terms of reference to the Task Force is to enforce law an order on the road, removal of stationary trucks, development of manual truck call up system until an electronic call-up system is introduced.
Members of the Task Force include the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the former Commissioner for Transport in Lagos State, Mr. Kayode Opeifa, who is the Executive Vice Chairman.
Following this the Nigerian Navy and all other military formations were ordered to dismantle all checkpoints in front of the ports.
Instead, the officials of LASTMA were asked to go to Apapa to lead traffic management.
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