Petroleum tank farm operators are lamenting that there has been a drastic drop activities and profits at their facilities due to the ongoing repair works on the Sunrise-Coconut axis of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway in Lagos.
In a chat with Shipping Position Daily last week, one of the operators who pleaded anonymity said that since the repair works commenced in February 2018, it has been difficult to supply products from the tank farms.
Our correspondent who was at the tank farm last week, noted that a portion of the expressway leading to Coconut bus stop has been closed.
This is to allow the on-going construction work. Apart from this, the exit lane out of Apapa is also closed, thereby leaving commuters, truck drivers and tanker drivers to battle for on the badly dilapidated service lane.
Chairman, Committee of Directors (COD), Ibru Complex, Ibafon, Apapa, Mr. Sabitu Ajadi told Shipping Position Daily last week that when the going was good, not less than 80million litres of petrol was distributed on daily basis from Ibru Complex alone. Investigations by our correspondent last week revealed that the figure has dipped drastically with each depot now loading less than 20 trucks per week.
Mr. Ajadi lamented that the bad road “is having untold effect on the distribution of petroleum products. Like PMS now, we are usually given 20-30 million litres for each of the depot, we can move not less than 80million liters on daily basis”.
According to investigations, products are currently being pumped by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) through Warri, Port Harcourt, Ejigbo, Mosimi and Suleja depots. Calabar depot, which can only be supplied products by marine vessels as it is not linked by the pipeline network, is also working.
Apart from these, imported products which arrive in Lagos through coastal vessels are discharged primarily at the Atlas Cove Depot where they are received into storage tanks for onward pumping to Mosimi, Ejigbo, Ibadan, Ilorin and Ore depots.
Also speaking with our correspondent and confirming the effect of the road closure on tanker drivers, Lagos Zonal Council Chairman of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG); Mr. Tayo Aboyeji said several tankers are now trapped along Mile 2 axis on their way to the tank farms.
Boyeji said that tanker drivers are no longer coming into Lagos from far north or South-South to lift products. According to him, most depots outside Lagos are working, so tanker drivers outside Lagos have no reason to come to Lagos to lift fuel.
The palliative work on the Oshodi expressway is being done by the Committee of Directors (COD), Ibru Complex and it is expected to last for only three years.
The length of the road from Sunrise to Coconut is 1.65 kilometre while the outlet into the lagoon is 190meters. Under the Coconut bridge to the other side is 1.55 kilometres; in all, the road is 3.5kilometres.
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