THE MILE 2 – APAPA – IJORA GRIDLOCK, POSSIBLE SOLUTION!

For eight years, my friend and former governor of Lagos, Babatunde Raji Fashola, failed to solve the problem of the tanker drivers turning the Mile 2 – Apapa expressway into a parking space. The parking of these trucks on this highway has caused untold hardship for both residents and business men and women using the road daily. Severally, he visited the place and applied 'fire brigade' approach that never took care of the situation once and for all. Now, the present governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has also embarked on the same methodology his predecessor used that achieved no favourable result. Reports has it that, Mr. Ambode has visited the place twice since resuming office on May 29, with no concrete solution as to permanently get these tanker drivers off the highways to save the commuters who ply that route daily from the harrowing experience they undergo due to our inability to think deeply of a way out of a problem.

For as long as Nigeria exports crude and turns around to import the finished product which is very essential to services, then the lingering transport gridlock within Apapa – Mile 2 will remain unless the man in Lagos decides it will stop now. There is certainly a way out of this menace and, that is simply agreeing to yank off two things, corruption and indiscipline in the system. It is embarrassing, very degrading for a nation to continue to operate a system that allows few individuals to hold us to ransome. I think that by now the state and federal government will put their heads together to end this nonsense that has become a national disgrace. I will urge Governor Ambode to secretly engage two or three independent minds to investigate for him the real cause of the menace because it does appear to me that the government do not understand the real cause of the problem hence, do not know how to approach the solution. It is the first step for the governor to embark on if he is seriously concerned about ending this traffic gridlock usually caused by the tanker drivers on this route.

To end this problem, the governor must engage the union members as they are almost the root cause of this nonsense. The union members are feeding fat from this long queues of trucks that are about to load premium spirit for onward delivery to their stations. It is alleged that monies exchange hand on the truck that will load what and when thereby, causing these logjam. It is distasteful, very unpatriotic that the union members are doing this to their fatherland, causing pain and early deaths on their fellow citizens because of their selfish interest.

The security agencies, the Navy, Army, Police, LASTMA are now neck dip in this crime against the peoples of Nigeria. Rather than the security agents to maintain sanity here, they have joined the union members and others in the racket. It is so unfortunate that our security men participate fully in the problem when they are supposed to help in the solution. At Mile 2, we have an Army Signal barracks and just a stone throw, we also have Navy and other military barracks yet, there is no decency. The question I have always asked, assuming there is military emergency in Mile 2 – Apapa, what would be the fate of the people? Won't these trucks hamper the free movement of both the military and civilians alike? I suppose Apapa – Mile 2 – Ojo are military zones?

So, the Governor Ambode led government of Lagos must initiate a meeting with the top military and police command in Lagos for immediate solution of these problem. I believe very strongly that this problem can be arrested within 48 hours if the number one man in Lagos, with the cooperation of these security agencies give it all takes.

Again, let Governor Ambode meet with the tanker owners, marketers on this issue for immediate solution. This cannot continue. Most of these tanker owners have parks where their trucks can be parked until when they are ready to load products at Apapa. But they are not using it rather, have chosen to come to Mile 2 – Apapa to park their trucks because of the monumental corruption going on there. With the tanker owners, marketers agreeing on something tangible toward the solution, I have no doubt in my mind that the problem is near solved.

The Federal Government must step up the refinery repairs to discourage this insensibility of sending our crude out for refine purposes when we can do it here. We appear to be the only oil producing country in the world sending its crude out to be refined and later import for domestic use. President Muhammadu Buhari must make it a priority to end this before vacating office in the next four years. It is part of the corruption he must fight against.

Written by Uzodinma Nwaogbe.