As the contractor, AG Dangote begins the reconstruction of the Wharf road in Apapa on July 7th, Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) will on Monday release diversion routes for motorists in the area.
The agency has also called on heavy duty truck owners to obey the directive of the Federal government by removing their trucks from the road to enable it commence work on the set date.
Erstwhile Commissioner of Transport Lagos State and Consultant to AG Dangote, Mr. Kayode Opeifa who made this call during a stakeholders’ meeting organized by the Federal Ministry of Works in Lagos on Thursday however said that while the road will be closed to allow for reconstruction work, there will be diversions to be designated so as to enable commuters and vehicles access the ports while reconstruction work is ongoing.
Opeifa who buttressed his position with a visual display of the current condition of the port access roads regretted that the truckers had turned the access roads into a holding bay adding that this would no longer be possible.
While wondering why the roads would be blocked even on public holidays, the former Commissioner pointed out that Apapa was not only facing gridlock issues as it is also facing serious health issues as result of the inability of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to access the area so as to evacuate the heaps of refuse that littered Creek road, Wharf road and so on which may soon lead to an outbreak of disease if not checked on time.
He informed that the Federal government had earmarked three roads namely; Wharf road, Creek Road and Apapa-Oshodi expressway adding that while reconstruction work is commencing from Wharf road and later on extend to the other two, he pointed out that a considerable portion of Oshodi-Apapa expressway had been fixed up to close to Coconut bus stop.
While calling on the stakeholders to bear patiently with the company during the reconstruction period, he appealed to the truckers to cooperate with the construction company to enable them deliver the project on time.
On his part, the General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASMA), Mr. Wale Musa informed that the outfit would today release the traffic diversion plan as crafted by LASTMA to guide vehicles owners and drivers on available routes to be used during the reconstruction period adding that the diversion plan would further be deliberated upon by the stakeholders on Saturday and eventually be released to the public on Monday.
While pledging the commitment of LASTMA to effectively carry out diversion of trucks to the designated routes, he however wondered where those trucks would be diverted to since there are no holding bays for that purpose even as he underscored the need for a holding bay to be secured for immediately.
According to him,” But, in deploying my men, because of the ugly incident we had last year, I can tell you that I will not deploy any man except we have security. We must be assured that our men will be safe and secure, we will not go out and be harassed because last year, somebody was killed while doing the job on the road and most of our men work in Apapa with fear because it is still recurring, it recur in their memory that one of them was killed while people were taking photograph, looking at them. So we want to be assured that we will have that security, once we are assured of that, I can tell you that we are ready to work.
“Apart from that, we also need to involve the Navy; there is no way you can work in that area without the Navy. Why I said this is that from my little experience, I know so many people are more experienced than me, we have seen instances where trucks are on the road, security personnel will aid these buses that are on queue to shunt. So, we must involve all security stakeholders, we have been to NNS Beecroft and I can tell you that they are ready to work with us but we must involve them in whatever we are doing. And the most important thing Sir, we are going to divert those vehicles but where to? It is very important, we ask them to move from the road to where? You must identify that too, where it can contain them and we have that easy and seamless at the end of the day”.
On his part, the Divisional Police Officer, Apapa Police Station, Superintendent of Police Bulus Musa assured that the Police will provide adequate security for all the agencies working for the smooth reconstruction of the road adding that “this is a job that we are doing for our dear nation, so, even if we are not called upon, we have that statutory responsibility to protect everybody. By the way, this time around, we are part of the problem, so, I assure you, we are going to give them the security that they deserve”.
On his part, the Assistant Commandant, Nigerian Security and Civil Corps (NSCDC), Lagos State, Mr. Godo Adamu assured that once the template for the diversion of vehicular movement was out, his men would adhere to it strictly adding that they would help to ensure a co,”ducive atmosphere for the reconstruction work to be effectively carried out.
He however warned that “in a situation whereby after we have agreed here, and they go back and do something different, that is where the issue of security will come on board and as I am trying to say, we as the security agents, we are ever ready to be civil with them in terms of approach, in terms of everything but honestly speaking, if they do anything contrary, I believe moderate force can be used”.
Also speaking, he Sole Administrator of Apapa Local Government Area, Hon. Luqman Babatunde Alao promised to have a joint patrol with the Police, the Army and the Navy as according to him, “most of these trucks you see park by the roadside are being escorted by these people as well, that is the fact and they have personal interest in it, the money is not going to the Council, it is going to the barrack”.
In her own part, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) represented by the General Manager Maintenance NPA, Engr. Jatto Adams submitted,” We are happy about the simple fact that we are all here trying to work towards the same aim and the aim and the vision that we all have is for us to be able to get this job completed in the next twelve months. So, all those issues we have raised, we will look at them vividly, those ones we can do immediately, they will be addressed’.
The General Manager Western Ports of the NPA, Arch Rafiu Gbadamosi assured the stakeholders that all the observations and complains raised at the meeting had been noted while thanking them for all the cooperation they had shown and having worked with the Authority assiduously.
“With regards to holding bay, no matter what we do; we have to take the legality of our action into consideration. Holding bay, when you actually take a look at it actually fall under the residual list of our constitution, I stand to be corrected. So, on the level of the local government, the holding bay can actually be, like you mentioned Chief Remi, if the political will is there, holding bay can actually be actualized. That committee you spoke about has taken all these into consideration and I must point out that the Executive Governor in his wisdom sent the Commissioners for Works, Environment, Waterfront development and Transport of which everybody including LASTMA, initially VIS I think were all represented. We had a resolution and I can assure you, that by the time we government agencies, by the time we sit down, just give us a few days, we will get our Acts together. But when we get our acts together, we expect you the unions to get your acts together.
“What we are asking for is cooperation. How are we going to achieve this? This is what is going to happen; any plan no matter how it is has its own teething problem but let us put it into actualization. Once we start, any teething problem we come across, we will face together, I can assure you of that, nobody will be left behind. Please, allow this to go forward. I don’t think we should deliberate much on that, the GM LASTMA is here, he will even testify to the fact that NPA and the Lagos State government have had series of meetings to that effect and forward planning, you may not know what it is but until it comes to being, you will see that we have planned ahead for this. What we are just trying to do is to sensitize everybody that this is what is coming to be.
“On the 7th of July, construction will start but before then, wherever we can identify as alternative route, wherever palliatives need to be and if we go back to that report, some holding bays have been identified. Wherever the Lagos state government needs to come in and make good the road, I am sure it will be done, you can be rest assured on that but what we are looking for is how Nigeria will win”, he said.
Concluding, the Controller of Works, Federal Ministry of Works, Mr. Godwin Ekeh further assured the stakeholders that palliative works will be carried out on the road where necessary, adding that in the next couple of days, they would begin diversion of vehicular movement which he said would start first on the Leventis Bridge and to Coconut and Sunrise areas.
“You can be assured it will be done, there is no going back, we will do the palliatives. As for the truck terminal you referred to, a couple of weeks ago, I met with the MD of the Nigerian Ports Authority, something is being done in that regard, she said a study is being carried out, so, we are yet to fix a date to visit the truck park.
“I know most time when you hear government officials talk, you think ah! These guys are not serious. We are serious minded people but you know we are guided by regulations and funding. So, but in terms of what you call palliatives, it will be done, I am assuring you on that and I am also appealing to our security agencies to collaborate and work together especially when you mention the issue of security council meeting, Chairman, I hope you come onboard because LASTMA GM said without security, he will not deploy his men and he had assured you that there will be security. So, I hope you will deploy your men? And he had told us that by tomorrow (today) latest, the traffic diversion plan will be out.
So, we have three take away, one, that the traffic diversion plan will be out by tomorrow, by Saturday, there will be further meetings and discussion and by Monday, the traffic diversion plan will be communicated to all of you, then we can now ask the contractor to mobilize and commence work on Apapa Wharf road, Ekeh stated.
