Do you think that the completion of Apapa road reconstruction will end congestion in the ports?

Rev Jonathan Nicol (President Shippers Association of Lagos)

I will say that, it will solve about 70% of it, because anything that has to with people making money, it’s not easy to get rid of. But, we pray it works; as is it now we are tired of the congestion, we are extremely tired, because what we pay to take goods to Gombe and Cameroun is now what we are paying to carry these goods to Alaba in Lagos, this is not good.

Ojo Peter Akintoye (Freight Forwarder)

The road is contributing almost 65% to the problem of congestion in Apapa today, so the others are manageable; we’ve been managing from year to year. I also want to commend the federal government on the area of the road; that the work is going on seriously that by the time the two roads are completed, it will solve almost about 70 percent of the problem.

Read Also: Apapa Gridlock, Road Reconstruction And Matters Arising

Babatunde Mukaila (National Secretary ANLCA)

Yes, it will reduce the congestion by 70%, in the last two to three weeks when the contractors were called upon to do some patch-work and open some space around Sunrise and second gate; it helped. You know our transactions have a lot to do with demand and supply and availability, trucks movement from Tin Can that stood at N1.3 million has come down to N350,000, moving around Lagos from Tin Can has also dropped to about N750,000 now. So good roads no doubt has a lot to do in Naira and Kobo, good road will reduce the pressure and cost of doing business will reduce if the contractors deliver on their promises. I believe it’s going to be a better year for us.

Chief Remi Ogungbemi (Chairman AMATO)

The condition of the road, I would say is a contributing factor to the gridlock, but I will not say is the ultimate, we need to use technology to address most of the problem, if there is no device that we regulate the movement of these trucks even after completion, we will still continue to have this problem. Government should look for modern technology to solve the problem, the solution that will remove human interference is the biggest solution, we have even advised that all the trucks should go back to their private parks and garages and that they can only come when it is their turn to come.

Segun Onigbese Ope (Logistics Expert)

Yes, I would say the roads are the major contributing factor, but not the only factor, I believe if the roads are good, about 80 percent of the problem is already solved, the security agents and others who stand as element of corruption take advantage of the dilapidated state of the road to carry out their operations. So I believe if the contractors can deliver the road by April just like you said, then major problem is already taken away.

Shakiru Fagbohun (Truck Driver)

No, I don’t think so, because the security agents will still ask us to line up on a single lane, delay us and still collect money from us. So what I think government should is to Install camera around the Apapa axis, let them monitor why there is traffic in Apapa, I am not saying the road completion will not help, but what if some people decide to destroy the road every night just to create congestion, so that they can ‘eat’, so I want to say they should install cameras along the road, just like what we have overseas.

Olumide Fakanlu (Freight Forwarder)

Yes, I believe the completion of the road would have taken the 50% of the problem, and that is why they have to complete the road soon; the other problem will be that of the holding bays, there is need for the shipping companies to have holding bays where they can keep their empties.