Nigeria: NPA, Nimasa, Others Watch As Tankers Shut Down Mile 2-Apapa Expressway

Motorists and commuters were stranded for hours in traffic, yesterday, following a gridlock caused by an upsurge of tankers along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway that obstructed vehicular movement and blocked access and other link roads.

After several months of respite, gridlock returned last week as tankers took over the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway from the Otto Wharf-Kirikiri axis, with traffic stretching as far as Mile 2 Bus Stop.

When contacted, LASTMA Director of Operations, Peter Gbejemede, blamed the resurgence of traffic on oil depots located around the Kirikiri axis, which failed to provide access for tankers into their premises, leading to a gridlock along the expressway.

According to Gbejemede, "Following public complaints, the General Manager immediately ordered the deployment of officers to the affected area to ensure the free flow of traffic.

"We have been appealing to the drivers to find alternative parking locations, as any vehicle found causing obstruction on the road by tomorrow (today) will be impounded and the owners made to face the consequences.

"We will not tolerate any form of indiscipline on the road. Let me make it very clear that we will impound vehicles found blocking access roads along the Mile 2-Kirikiri axis from Tuesday (today). Offenders will be charged accordingly."

Stakeholders, however, blamed shipping companies and terminal inefficiencies for the growing congestion.

National President of the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations, COMTUA, Yinka Aroyewun, blamed MSC and Maersk Line for worsening the gridlock, citing their failure to evacuate empty containers as a major cause of port congestion.

In an interview with Vanguard, Aroyewun explained that while cargo is being offloaded at the ports, empty containers are not being evacuated because shipping lines have not made their vessels available.

"The terminals are full because the shipping companies are not evacuating their empty containers. The bottleneck is causing trucks to queue along access roads, waiting to drop off empty containers. The congestion starts inside the terminals and spills back onto the roads," he said.

Aroyewun added that Truck Transit Park Limited, TTP, continues to dispatch trucks without adequate coordination with terminal operators.

According to him, if the situation persists, the union may be forced to take action.

"If the problem continues over the next one or two days, we will instruct our members to drop the empty containers at designated locations and bill the shipping companies before they can recover them," Aroyewun said