Presidential task team impounds 120 trucks

ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY trucks were impounded by the Presidential task team on the clearance of Apapa Ports roads during its two-week exercise.

Head of the enforcement team Hakeem Olusegun Odumosu, a Commissioner of Police, said the trucks had been moved to Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) yard at Oshodi.

He said the trucks would not be released without presidential directive.

The Task team Executive Vice-Chairman Kayode Opeifa is expected to brief the Vice-President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, who chairs the task team today on its activities.

He said its activities on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway were slowed down by failed portions of the road, especially between Coconut and Tin Can First and Second Gate Bridge and road.

Hitech Construction Ltd., he said, was ready to carry out palliative work on the failed portion of the road.

“The only challenge before the team right now is controlling the truck drivers to move to the outbound Tin Can carriageway, in order to enable the contractor to palliate the road especially at Coconut, Tin Can road and the adjoining bridges,” he said.

According to him, the Federal government had awarded all the roads within Apapa, including Liverpool, Creek Road, and the Apapa–Oshodi Expressway up to Iyana Oworo, as part of the long term solutions to decongest the ports.

Opeifa attributed much of the success in decongesting Apapa port to Lillypond Truck Terminal, adding: “right now, no truck is permitted to approach the port directly, but must first go to Lillypond from where they are thereafter called up to approach Apapa.

“To facilitate this, the NPA has approved 54 private parks around the port area where the trucks are permitted to park for a minimum fee of not more than N1000 daily. The operators agreed that the fee is cheaper than staying on the road where they are extorted by street urchins and other faceless operatives. From these parking lots, the truckers are called to approach the port.”

He said trucks might still be seen on the roads because of the low handling capacity of the ports, adding that Apapa Wharf could handle only 300 empty container returns and 1,000 trucks daily.

“In a situation where you have between 30,000 and 50,000 trucks daily, you must realise the enormity of the challenge that we have and there is little that we can do to improve that until the NPA rolls out its electronic call up system,” he said.

Opeifa said private parks would be used until the government provides more parking lots mature.
He listed the Tin Can Truck park, which may be ready within one week, the park being constructed by the Federal Ministry of Works and the one proposed to be constructed by the Lagos State Government along Parks B, C and D as part of the solutions to resolve the Apapa gridlock, especially on the Tin Can axis of the port.