Fashola seeks relocation of tank farms, jetties from Apapa

Lagos State governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has decried the number of tonnages (cargoes), petroleum products that are being carried by vehicles from the country's gateways.

According to him, the volume of products carried along Apapa-Oshodi route far outweighs the capacity of the roads.

He urged the Federal Government to think about relocating the jetties or tank farms from Apapa for the safety of the people and the preservation of the road.

The governor argued there was no city in the world that moves the number of tonnages (cargoes) on the roads, pointing out that the movement of haulages has taken severe toll on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.

Besides, he said, the tank farms (jetties) along the road has constituted danger to the Apapa community, as no where in the world where tank farms within residential areas, adding Apapa's master plan was conceived as a residential area.

Fashola, made the point when he hosted auto stakeholders to an industry meeting in Lagos, over the weekend, said that activities at the nation's gateways, especially the tank farms (jetties) and the containers was worrisome to the state government because of the risk it poses to the residents of Apapa.

He said that these factors have resulted to traffic gridlock and congestion along the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, in Apapa.

According to him, the state government has written several letters to the Federal Government on how to find lasting solution to the gridlock traffic and congestion at the ports, but the Federal Government was not keen since the gateways remains the country's second highest revenue earner.

He berated the government for lack of minimal safety standards for vehicles in the country, as it was the major factor for the road. ential houses because I have not seen anywhere in the world where jetties are built within residential areas