Petroleum tank farm operators at the popular Ibru Complex at Coconut axis of Apapa-Oshodi expressway have accused personnel of the Nigerian Navy deployed to control traffic on the Mile 2 Bridge of frustrating tanker drivers by not allowing them go through the checkpoint.
The Chairman, Committee of Directors (COD), Ibru Complex, Ibafon, Apapa, Mr. Sabitu Ajadi in a chat with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week equally lamented that loading activities at the tank farms at Ibru complex have dropped drastically from 60 trucks per day to 15 trucks per day.
Ajadi said trucks approaching the tank farms from Oshodi are usually diverted by the Navy to go and make a turn all the way on Badagry expressway before coming again to access the service lane to the Apapa depots. He alleged that container-laden trucks have taken over the service lane thereby reducing access for petroleum tankers.
He lamented that presently, it is difficult to operate the truck call-up system because of the dilapidated Berger-Sunrise axis of the expressway.
“There is no improvement yet, the whole road is still blocked, the containers are still occupying the whole road until containers leave the road and we start using the call-up system and also open up all the truck parks, the progress would not be that much”
“The situation is worse now because the control that naval officers are doing on top of the Mile 2 bridge is not allowing trucks to pass through there, they are directing them to go and turn at trade fair (Badagry expressway) before coming to the service lane, and when they get to the service lane, they still control them before coming”
“Their zonal coordinator just spoke with me a short while ago and I will still discuss with the port manager to see how they can allow trucks coming to our place to have free access”, he said.
Ajadi also told our correspondent that the Committee of depot operators planned to meet with the contractor currently working on the expressway, AG Dangote to prevail on them to fix the Sunrise bus stop all through to Coconut.
“This was the last place where we were about to conclude before government intervention, this is to ensure that containers can be using the major lane while we make use of the service lane”
Stressing how the situation is telling on the activities of operators, he said “presently we are doing just 15 to 20 trucks per day, but before now, we handled about 50 to 60 trucks”.
The tank farm stakeholders were however not so excited about the recent report of a possible expansion of the Orile truck park by the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode.
Shipping Position Daily gathered last week that the truck park would now be used by container laden trucks preparatory for an efficient call-up system at the seaport.
In his reaction, Ajadi sid : “Let them do it first and let's see, we have used that truck park before when all the terminals were given allocations and we send about ten trucks each to park there, as at that time, we call in trucks from that axis in order to assist our own holding bay, but when the arrangement broke up, this was why we were not using it again, now that they have said they are using it for only containers, let's see how the call up system will be used, I believe it would go a long way but it cannot be a permanent solution”.
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