A former Chairman of the Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) chapter of Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA); Otunba Abiodun Ogunfowora has made a renewed call for the Federal Government to relocate petroleum tank farms scattered around Ibru and Ibafon jetties in Apapa, so as to ease the traffic gridlock along Mile 2- Apapa expressway.
He advised that the tank farms at Ibru jetty as well as others located in other parts of Lagos including, Kirikiri, Satelite town, among others should be transferred to Badagry and Epe axis of Lagos State.
In an exclusive chat with Shipping Position Daily last week, Otunba Ogunfowora who was Chairman of ANLCA at KLT Terminal for four years noted that the greatest challenge facing operators at the terminal was the activities of the tank farms and indiscriminate parking by tanker drivers.
He maintained that the KLT Command of the Nigeria Customs Service, as well as other businesses around the Kirikiri area in Apapa would never break-even unless tank farms are relocated away from the area.
He added that the tank farms are the greatest headache of the Kirikiri Command of the Customs and that, recent efforts by the Customs Area Controller; Mr. Benjamin Aber may not yield any fruit unless the government relocates the depots.
He said, "Importers no longer demand their cargoes to be transferred to KLT because of the number of days it takes to get cargoes out of the terminal and to destination"
"The blockage of the road by tank farms and petroleum tankers is the major problem we are having on that road".
As part of efforts to find permanent solution to the traffic gridlock along the axis, the Area Controller of the KLT Customs recently assured that a temporary truck park to accommodate about 1,000 trucks and tankers is to be completed in a few months.
The project is being financed by a private firm, Creek and See Truck Park supported by a stakeholder’s forum working for a permanent solution to the perennial traffic situation along the route.
The forum being championed by Controller Aber, includes all government agencies operating around the port area, truck drivers, ministry of works, agencies of the Lagos state government among others.
Aber had said at the inspection of the temporary park located at Kirikiri town, that apart from the temporary park, the piece of land around Amuwo – Odofin acquired by the truck drivers will be used as the permanent truck holding bay.
But speaking with our correspondent last week, the ANLCA top man expressed no optimisms in the project.
He said "There is no magic that could be performed by Comptroller Aber (the Customs Controller), he is a civil servant, and he is only trying his best, you cannot expect him not to make promises, but he cannot perform any magic, it is only the government that can revive that place"
Shipping Position Daily recalls that the Federal Government had made several efforts in the past to decongest the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, including deploying the military and other agencies to control the traffic.
Otunba Ogunfowora however alleged that the military got to the expressway to control the traffic but they eventually became part and parcel of the problem on ground.
"The government is largely responsible, the Ibru jetty is believed to be by the waterside, it creates an access for the ships to come and discharge, but we have other places where the tank farms could be diverted to such as Epe, Badagry", he argued.
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