Even as the Federal Government last week come out to announce that there is no respite yet for port users, motorist who ply the Apapa- Oshodi expressway, petroleum tanker drivers under the aegis of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has condemned the way the contractors and the government have abandoned the road project, even as they said that it is affecting them.
Even as the Federal Government last week come out to announce that there is no respite yet for port users, motorist who ply the Apapa- Oshodi expressway, petroleum tanker drivers under the aegis of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has condemned the way the contractors and the government have abandoned the road project, even as they said that it is affecting them.
Some motorists who spoke with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week, condemned the activities of the contractor; Messrs Boroni Prono, alleging that the company is using inferior construction materials on the road project.
A commuter, Mr. Peter Ojelatan specifically pointed out to our correspondent that the construction at the Westminster axis of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway which houses most of the tank farms in Lagos and the trucks coming to load petroleum products was not properly carried out; out even as he noted that the road cannot stand the test of time.
Also speaking with our correspondent on the issue, the SPG chairman of NUPENG and coordinator of traffic along the service lane of the depot complained that the scenario is quite frustrating because while loaded petroleum tankers try to find their way out of the depots to connect Lagos-Badagry expressway from the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, they are held up for hours on the road.
According to him, the situation has been compounded because the contractor that started the project; Messers Boroni Prono has not done much on the road for about a year now, these little ‘exits’ according to him could have eased off the pressure.
Oshoku however blamed the situation on the tank farm operators whom he accused of failing to provide adequate parking space within their premises.
"The truth is that our members are rendering essential services to the entire nation. They travel far distances to load in Lagos and distribute nationwide. They cannot lift the trucks on their heads to jetties. So I blame this on the failed system and jetty operators who are not providing parking lot for the tankers," he said.
However, even though the Lagos Zonal Council Chairman of NUPENG, Alhaji Nojeem Korodo had told Shipping Position Daily exclusively last week that the union now enjoys cordial relationship with the Lagos State Government and that its members no longer park along the expressway, our correspondent noticed last week that tankers waiting to lift petroleum products from the tank farms and other trucks going into the ports to carry imported goods are still parking on the entire service lane and almost half of the expressway, leaving just a narrow portion for other road users.
Meanwhile, because the road is the major gateway to Nigeria's main sea ports, the Nigerian Ports Authority last week said that it is trying all it could to ensure that businesses in and along Apapa no longer suffer and that it has set up a committee which it is funding to reduce gridlock along the road.
Managing Director of the NPA, Engr Omar Suleiman who was speaking at a function in Lagos last week explained that, “NPA has set up a committee which it is funding just to make sure the traffic along the road is reduced, we are spending a lot of money, they work in the night, towing vehicles that are parked, state government is also involved in that road”
He also said that ordinarily, “anything out of ports and service lane is out of NPA jurisdiction, but we have a committee that is looking into it.
He however lamented that Borini Prono, the company that started the project has abandoned the job for about a year now and that they are looking for twice the amount of the contract for them to continue, “so we have been talking to the federal ministry of works” he assured.
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