There are indications that the 72-hour Presidential order for articulated vehicles to vacate all access into Apapa may have fallen on deaf ears, as truck drivers have said that the order is not going to work.
Some of the truckers who spoke separately to Shipping Position Daily at Coconut Bus stop along Apapa Oshodi expressway fingered corruption by some security agencies as a major obstacle to the implementation of the order.
Recall that there was a presidential directive that articulated vehicles should vacate roads and bridges leading into Apapa, the directive expired on Saturday afternoon and yet the traffic situation has not improved.
For Jimoh Lawal, a truck driver, he is not aware of the presidential directive and nobody has come to ask him to vacate the road with his truck.
"I have not even heard that there was an order for vehicles to leave here within 72hours, but I am not sure trucks can be moved out of this place within the time frame. Where will the trucks park if they leave here, they must go and offload the empty containers, and there is serious traffic inside the terminal, so I am not sure it can happen?"
Jimoh also said that he has spent over N70, 000 from Mile 2 to Coconut bus stop under three weeks due to extortion.
"Talking about extortion, it is a normal thing, I left from Mile 2 to this place and before I left my boss gave me N90, 000 as money that is supposed to take care of my expenses till I get to where I am going to. That money I left with only N10, 000 now and I am still at Coconut Bus stop under three weeks. If you want to connect from Mile 2 to Ajegunle, you will have to pay N70, 000 when you get to Coconut under bridge, the Police will collect N1, 000 and you will also have to pay N2, 000 before you get on the bridge of Coconut heading to TinCan first gate."
Explaining further he said, "And it won't end there, in fact I have lost count of how we spend the money here nobody has asked us to leave this place with our trucks. I came from Mile 2 and they are yet to pass us they said that the Second Gate is not moving. I am even grateful to God that I have gotten to this place from Mile 2 after three weeks"
Also speaking, another truck driver who gave his name as Mr. Jimoh Salakutu told our correspondent that the Navy officer that collected money to escort him abandoned him on the road.
He also added that he had spent 17days on the roads with a 20ft container of Egusi for export.
"This container is for export and I am carrying Egusi and today makes it 17days that I have been on this road. From Mile 2 to this Coconut I have spent almost 11days, the Navy officer that has been escorting us, we paid him N70, 000 to take us to the port and he dropped us at Trinity Bus stop and disappeared"
Salakatu who handles export containers also accused the exporter of abandoning him on the road at some point.
"He deliberately followed the bad road and the container almost fell of, even the owner of the cargo abandoned me there. The owner later went and hired crane and paid N170, 000 for them to adjust the container that almost fell from the truck", he lamented.
Explaining further, he added that aside the N70, 000 that he gave to the Naval Officer to clear the road, he had spent over N30, 000 between Trinity bus stop and Coconut bus stop.
"From Trinity Bus stop to this Coconut Bridge, I have spent N34, 000 as I am talking to you now I don't have any other money with me.
The order of the president that trucks should leave here within 72hours cannot be easy", he declared.
He blamed the government and some security agencies as the cause of the gridlock.
"There is a way we used to do our work before, but because of the money they gain from here, that is why we have all these”, he added.
They will overlook the people who are on the normal lane and be allowing those driving against the traffic to go just because they bribed them"
According to him, "they will drive against the traffic and when you talk they will say that it is call from above and we don't have anybody to call on our behalf. Some stay up to two months on this queue, we have families and some of us have not seen our loved ones for weeks now"
"I have not seen my family for three weeks now, they should try and work on the roads we are suffering here so much", he pleaded.
Discussion about this post