New Telegraph

Presidential Task Team: 80% of Apapa’s restoration expected by December, 2020

Concerned by the lingering transportation challenges on Tin-Can-Mile 2 axis of Apapa, the Executive Vice Chairman, Presidential Task Team on Restoration of Law and Order in Apapa environ, Comrade Kayode Opeifa has said that most of the issues responsible for the slow movement into the port will be resolved by December, 2020.
The Task Team chief, who blamed the traffic challenges motorists and commuters faced on the axis on lack of proper coordination and communication among stakeholders, also said that the situation on the axis could improve, if the port is more efficient, saying the inefficiency port would also determine numbers of trucks found on the roads.
Speaking on the issues responsible for slow pace of movement into Apapa from the axis, Opeifa, in collaboration with the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), said there was need for the commuters and other stakeholders to understand factors that are responsible for the seemingly teething problems and challenges confronting residents and workers around the area.
According to him, many are unaware that the roads leading to the ports are under construction and that trucks only manage a designated corridor to access the port. He added that most drivers are unaware and those who are of this used the opportunity to extort their principals.
The Vice Chairman, who spoke after a tour of facilities in and around port areas in Apapa, said there was need for the stakeholders to take ownership of the place.
He said: “There is no problem on this axis of Apapa, what we have are issues. The issues are: that construction is ongoing and a lot of transporters don’t have the information which their agencies, authorities owe them.
“They need to inform their client and find ways to inform the public. This is because a lot of people are taking advantage of the happenings to extort their principals, drivers exploiting the managers, mangers exploiting the shippers, shippers exploiting me and you.
“So there is a need for information for the public to understand what’s going on here. Then the stakeholders should take ownership of the place.
“Terminal operators should be interested in how people access their terminals and not just attending to whoever they see.”
He explained that there was also a need to cooperate with the contractor handling the road project.
“The contractor needs to gain access to certain places to do is work, the earlier the contractor gains access to where he needs to work, the better for the operation of the port. These are the issues. However, the ports must keep working too. We need the port managers to be more responsive in the overall scheme of things. We believe in few months time the Apapa area will take better shape for movements and port activities, much more orderliness would be restored,” he added.

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