Even though the Presidential Committee on Port Reform gave assurances that container- laden trucks and other articulated vehicles would no longer be seen on the ever-busy Apapa –Oshodi expressway as from this week, there are indications that the directive may not be binding on the truck owners as they were sighted by our correspondents yesterday at the Apapa end of the expressway still queuing up and spilling over to the highway.
Even though the Presidential Committee on Port Reform gave assurances that container- laden trucks and other articulated vehicles would no longer be seen on the ever-busy Apapa –Oshodi expressway as from this week, there are indications that the directive may not be binding on the truck owners as they were sighted by our correspondents yesterday at the Apapa end of the expressway still queuing up and spilling over to the highway.
The committee which is headed by the special adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on project monitoring and evaluation, Prof Sylvester Monye had last Thursday given its words that as from this week, no truck laden with empty containers will be seen on the expressway.
But when our correspondent went round yesterday, the trucks were still visible right from Coconut bus stop to Tin Can/ Second gate bus stop, thereby creating the usual bottleneck.
When contacted, chairman, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi told Shipping Position Daily that the truck owners have not been informed of any such decision. “We are not aware of that directive; they should have invited us to the meeting”.
According to him, government is not yet ready to solve the problem of traffic on Apapa Oshodi expressway. “When they are ready, they will do the right”, and when asked about what the right thing is, he said the solution is to create a large-enough holding bay for the containers.
Chief Ogungbemi said the holding bays of the shipping companies which trucks are supposed to be going to are already filled to the brim.
Speaking exclusively to Shipping Position Daily correspondent in Lagos yesterday, he said that even though most of the shipping companies have holding bays where containers are dropped, “the problem is that all these holding bays are filled to the brim and that is why you see so many trucks in Apapa”
Chief Ogungbemi also said that “it is also wrong for containers to be dropped at the holding bays, most of these areas are residential areas, and it is going to have a negative effect on the lives of people living around these areas, for them to start seeing containers trucks moving around and causing traffic thereby disturbing their easy movement”
“Containers are supposed to be dropped directly at the port, because the containers are going to be returned to its origin through the ship, so it is wrong for them to be taken to holding bays”
“I attended one of the committee’s meetings and I told them then that the scheme cannot work, I don’t see how it can work, but however, let us give majority opinion a trial”
Also speaking with Shipping Position Daily, some of the truck drivers who were parked on the Tin Can Island Bridge said that they have not yet been notified of any instruction not to come directly to the port.
One of them told our correspondent that: “we prefer going to the truck park which will be provided for us than for us to come here and spend four days on queue, but the problem is that these places are filled- up already, I am supposed to drop my container at Ports and Cargo holding bay in Okota, but the place is filled up” he said.
Another driver told our correspondent that reason why they are still present at the port is because they have not been informed of the development and that some of the shipping companies have not yet acquired a place that can be used as holding bay.
Prof Monye had told journalists last week that container trucks coming in to pick or to drop their containers at the ports will no longer be coming directly to the port or queue along the expressway, they are now to be going to the holding bays of the shipping companies from where they will be called to the ports.
He disclosed at the media parley, that prior to last week, the committee had met with some stakeholders. “It was agreed at our meeting that henceforth, there will be a triangular movement of trucks at the ports, all empty containers being brought to the port will be offloaded at the holding bays and off dock terminals, therefore those which enter the port are those that have cargo to pick or containers to clear, so there will be no more direct entry into the port, trucks coming into the port with empty containers will be going directly to the holding bays of the shipping lines, and when the containers are required at the port, they will be lifted from there” Monye stated.
According to him, no truck will be allowed to enter into the port without a permit which will henceforth be issued to the truck drivers, without this, they will not be allowed to enter into the port.
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