Why Presidential taskforce can’t resolve Apapa Port access roads gridlock—FRSC
Contrary to the claims and further assurances by the Vice-Chairman, Presidential Taskforce on Apapa gridlock, Kayode Opeifa, to residents of Apapa that end was in sight for the menace, a top official of the Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Otto Wharf Command, has made it clear that no end is insight after all.
Speaking to Business Hilights in an undercover interview, the official said “I have been in this field for more than 10 years. From my experience, all the Presidential directive and taskforce can achieve will be short-lived.”
“I said this because there is so much corruption and issue of every tanker or container driver knowing one big Oga either in government or the armed forces will continue to frustrate the management of the Apapa end of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.
“Some of us are handicapped in handling the traffic crisis caused by drivers’ especially empty ones. We have time without number organized them to be on a single line but not up to one minute after arranging them into one single lane, one will drive from nowhere and scatter it.
“And if you threaten to discipline him, he will look at your name tag on your uniform and call somebody who will call your boss. Within the next five minutes, you will get a call from your superior who will embarrass you for doing your job.
“FRSC has what it takes to organize traffic on Apapa end of that road, but issues of embarrassing calls from superiors weaken our seriousness to do our work,” the aggrieved official decried.
Opeifa had at the Town Hall meeting in Apapa, gave the assurance brushing away concerns about activities of the taskforce and to generate more ideas towards achieving the sustainability of free flow of traffic at Apapa and to enable residents take ownership of the space.
Checks by Business Hilights on Wednesday over his claims that “Now we have been able to ensure that no trucks stay on the roads anywhere in Apapa,” showed that he was not on ground as starting from Ijesha axis, containers have blocked entry lane to Apapa, thus forcing commercial buses to ply one-way undisturbed.
Fact checks are still on over Opeifa’s claims that “We have busted the issue of extortion which was a by-product of the demurrage system that was hitherto in operation which the Nigerian Shippers Council and the Ship owners are already working on with terminal operators.”
Also, investigations at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) over his claims that “The NSC has been able to negotiate a slash in the demurrage and we believe once this is put into operation, it would reduce the pressure to get into Apapa and the number of trucks would drastically reduce,” is still ongoing by Business Hilights as at Wednesday as no official of the Council was willing to either confirm or deny the Vice-Chairman, Presidential Taskforce on Apapa gridlock statement.
