Key agencies, including NPA and NIMASA, look on as fuel tankers block Mile 2-Apapa highway

Motorists and commuters endured hours of traffic congestion yesterday due to a gridlock caused by a surge of tankers along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, which blocked access and other link roads.

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After several months of relief, the 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.

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LASTMA Director of Operations, Peter Gbejemede, attributed the resurgence of traffic to oil depots around the Kirikiri axis that failed to provide access for tankers into their premises, leading to a gridlock along the expressway.

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Gbejemede stated that the General Manager ordered the deployment of officers to the affected area to ensure the free flow of traffic, and warned that any vehicle found causing obstruction on the road would be impounded and the owners made to face the consequences starting from Tuesday.

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LASTMA will not tolerate any form of indiscipline on the road, and will impound vehicles found blocking access roads along the Mile 2-Kirikiri axis from Tuesday, with offenders being charged accordingly.

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Stakeholders blamed shipping companies and terminal inefficiencies for the growing congestion, with National President of COMTUA, Yinka Aroyewun, citing the failure of MSC and Maersk Line to evacuate empty containers as a major cause of port congestion.

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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, causing trucks to queue along access roads and leading to congestion.

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The terminals are full because shipping companies are not evacuating their empty containers, and the bottleneck is causing trucks to queue, with the congestion starting inside the terminals and spilling back onto the roads, according to Aroyewun.

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Aroyewun added that TTP continues to dispatch trucks without adequate coordination with terminal operators, and if the situation persists, the union may be forced to take action, such as instructing members to drop empty containers at designated locations and billing shipping companies.

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The issue is different from demurrage, which involves charges for cargo overstaying at the port, and the union needs a practical solution to the problem of trucks holding empty containers and being unable to operate.

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Aroyewun noted that the association has consistently reached out to the NPA, but the authority either claims ignorance or gives the impression that the matter is under control, with the issue ongoing for the last two weeks.

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National President of NCMDLCA, Lucky Amiwero, said the persistent gridlock and high operational costs at Apapa Port are forcing importers to divert cargo to neighboring countries such as Togo and Ghana.

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Amiwero stated that the port's electronic call-up system has been compromised, while multiple agencies impose excessive charges, making it more expensive to clear goods in Nigeria than in neighboring ports.

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Traders are now paying more to move goods through Apapa, so many are relocating their cargo to other ports where it is cheaper and more efficient, and if urgent reforms are not implemented, congestion will worsen and more businesses will bypass Apapa entirely.

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General Manager of TTP, Nancy Nnmadi, noted that the Mile 2-Apapa traffic has nothing to do with TTP, and the road is free from Ijora Long Bridge down to A.P. Filling Station, while from A.P. Filling Station down to Eleganza Roundabout, there are flatbed trucks lined up on the first lane.

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Nnmadi said the gridlock along the Mile 2-Apapa expressway is intermittent and has nothing to do with TTP, and she drove past Mile 2 without experiencing any traffic.

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A port traffic management official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the buildup of trucks on access roads is largely the result of slower-than-expected terminal operations, which has contributed to gridlock extending beyond the port environment.

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The official noted that when the roads are full, trucks cannot be released, and traffic coordination teams respond to such situations by notifying relevant agencies to temporarily slow or suspend the batching and release of trucks until congestion eases.

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NPA spokesman, Ikechukwu Onyemechara, promised to call back after explaining the situation at Apapa and the Mile 2 corridor, but did not do so as of press time.

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The spokesman of NIMASA did not respond to calls from correspondents, and the Head of Public Relations of NSC, Rebecca Adamu, also promised to call back but had yet to do so as of press time.

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Lagos Sector Commander of the FRSC, Kehinde Hamzat, warned that the agency would do everything within its capacity to prevent traffic gridlock within the Mile 2 axis, and will not tolerate a situation where truck drivers make life unbearable for other Nigerians.

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Hamzat noted that the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway is very important to Nigerians because it leads to the nation's biggest port, and the FRSC will deploy its heavy-duty towing trucks to remove trucks that fail to obey traffic rules and regulations within the area.

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The Sector Commander said the agency plans to liaise with armed-bearing sister agencies to tackle the problem, and will set up a meeting with terminal port operators to permanently prevent traffic gridlock.

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Efforts to reach the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, proved abortive, as he neither responded to calls nor replied to a text message sent to him.

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CP ordered the dismantling of illegal checkpoints as part of efforts to address the traffic congestion in the area.