ROAD CONGESTION: APAPA GRIDLOCK THREAT TO FEDERAL ALLOCATIONS – AMBODE
Governor of Lagos State Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Wednesday revisited the perennial traffic congestion dwindling socio-economic activities in Apapa and its environs, noting that the gridlock could drastically reduce federal allocations if not promptly addressed.
The Governor also lamented that there were 68 tank farms located within Apapa Central Business District alone, noting that such facilities should no longer be located within Lagos metropolis due to the danger they could cause human lives and the environment.
Ambode expressed these concerns yesterday at the 12th quarterly town hall meeting held at Iberekodo, a community in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area (LGA), where he challenged the federal government “to bring about permanent solution to the perennial traffic congestion in Apapa.”
The meeting was attended by the state Deputy Governor, Dr. Oluranti Adebule; the state Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Tunde Balogun; Deputy Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Wasiu Eshinlokun-Sanni, and the Senator representing Lagos East senatorial district, Gbenga Ashafa, among others.
At the meeting, Ambode recalled the recent public disorder, which the state witnessed in Apapa and its environs, saying what happened in the area was beyond traffic issues, which required concerted efforts to resolve.
Specifically, Ambode said the issue of tankers queuing up “to lift petroleum products from tank farms in Apapa is a major issue causing gridlock and damaging road infrastructure in the area.”
He, therefore, observed that Apapa’s traffic congestion crisis “is more than traffic issues.
According to him, “Apapa is where all states depend on for revenue through the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) because the revenue is shared at Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC).
“If anything goes wrong in the ports, whatever other states get from the FAAC can reduce drastically if we collectively fail to work out permanent solution to perennial traffic congestion in Apapa and its environs.”
He argued that Apapa’s traffic congestion is a national issue that required urgent attention, noting that oil pipelines should be revived to discourage the trend of thousands of trucks coming from other parts of the country to lift petroleum products from Apapa.
He said: “It is bad that we still use truck to lift petroleum products from Apapa to other parts of the country. As it is now, other ports in Nigeria must begin to work immediately in order to decongest gridlock in Lagos
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