Traffic decongestion: Osinbajo, Sanwo-Olu visit Apapa

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday, visited Apapa in continuation of efforts to decongest and make the port city, transport-friendly.

It would be recalled that Osinbajo was appointed by President Muhammdu Buhari as the Executive Chairman of the Presidential Taskforce on the Apapa Traffic Gridlock, and the decongestion of the Apapa port and its environs.

On Saturday, the Vice President said the visit to Apapa was a pointer to the readiness of the Federal Government to work with the Lagos government in finding lasting solution to the gridlock that has become an eyesore along the nation’s busiest ports.

“There are several aspects of the task that has to be done in decongesting the port. There have been a lot of infrastructure projects around the Lagos ports initiated by the Federal Government. Some of these projects have been completed; a lot are still ongoing. However, clearing the roads of trailers and oil tankers is the major issue that is of concern to the people. The good news is, there is a considerable improvement in this regard.

“The Mile 2 end of the Apapa axis is where there is some difficulty, but I assure you that in the next couple of days, it will be resolved, given the operation of Tin Can Island Trailer Park and the palliative work going on all the way down to Mile 2. We can all see that the entry to the ports is essentially clear.

“There are short term, mid and long term measures we are putting in place. One of our long-term measures is to decongest the cargo traffic coming in and out of the ports. Apapa port is meant to take 34 million metric tons, but it is currently doing over 80 million metric tons today. There is certainly a need to find an alternative and to expand,” the Vice President said.

Osinbajo also disclosed that there was an ongoing dredging of the Warri port in Delta State, as part of the efforts to decongest cargo traffic in Lagos ports. He added that the standard gauge currently being constructed by the government from Lagos to Kano would be useful in decongesting the Lagos ports.

Similarly, Governor Sanwo-Olu said his administration was ready to complement any effort by the Federal Government to ensure decongestion of the area in order to ease the pains of residents and businesses.