Afeez Hanafi
The Flag Officer Commanding, Western Naval Command, Apapa, Lagos, Sylvanus Abbah, has warned that terrorists can exploit the gridlock on the Apapa bridges to attack Lagos.
He said the enormity of the traffic would hinder timely response from security agencies if there was an emergency around the area.
Abbah spoke on Wednesday during an interactive session with stakeholders at the command on perennial gridlock on the Apapa Dockyard Road and neighbouring routes caused by tankers and trailers.
The naval boss lamented that the holding bays where the trucks abandoned on the roads were supposed to be kept were not functioning.
He then called for drastic measures from all the stakeholders to decongest the gridlock and avert security and safety threats it posed.
Abbah urged the drivers to remove the trucks on the Apapa bridges within 48 hours to ease traffic.
He said, “Nigeria is going through a lot of trying times now. Terrorists may strike anytime in any part of the country without you predicting. We have to take adequate measures to prevent such from happening. Some of the vehicles have been parked on the bridges for two or three weeks with some of them carrying loads. The terrorists and other enemies of Nigeria could easily use this opportunity. So many tankers are parked along the road if any of them is set ablaze, you know what will happen to the rest.
“When the Chief of Naval Staff visited Lagos the other time, we were trapped in the traffic for over 30 minutes even with the sirens. He asked me what would happen if a pregnant woman who is about giving birth is faced with this traffic situation. So many people have lost their lives in this traffic jam.
“One of the constitutional roles of the military is to protect key national assets, including the bridges. If we need to enforce the laws of the land, we have to work hand-in-hand with the state government to ensure that sanity is restored.”
The Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Transport, Dr. Taiwo Salau, said the Apapa Port was designed for 30 million metric tonnes, but had been stretched to over 80 million metric tonnes.
He said the increase was responsible for the gridlock, adding that the volume of articulated vehicles parked on Apapa bridges had made the infrastructure to become distressed and unsafe.
Salau said, “The bridges will not pass integrity test if conducted on them. The Lagos State Government has embarked on building holding bays that will accommodate 2,700 vehicles. If you go to the port now, you will be sorry for this nation”
The Manager, Apapa Port, who was represented by the Traffic Manager, Oginni Victor, said the Nigerian Ports Authority had resolved to adopt call-up system whereby companies would be allowed to send a specific number of containers to the port to load raw materials on a daily basis.
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