Apapa Gridlock: Lagos Impounds 50 Tankers, Clears Apapa Expressway

By Ayo Balogun, Lagos – The Lagos State Government has impounded 50 tankers on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway in a bid to decongest the expressway from wanton traffic gridlock.

Apapa is a no-go area as tankers have blocked every nooks and crannies leading to Apapa, with motorists spending hours to get to their destination.

On Sunday, officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, the police and the Nigeria Navy stormed the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway to dislodge the tankers parked permanently on the expressway.

General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Babatunde Edu said 50 tankers were towed by the government from the expressway by a rescue team of the agency in conjunction with the Nigerian Navy and the Police.

He said the enforcement was in accordance with the administration’s zero tolerance for gridlocks and indiscipline and also to checkmate the excesses of tanker drivers and restore sanity to the axis.

He said that the State Government, being a responsible and responsive one would ensure that every citizen has a right to the axis and not only the tankers or trucks carrying containers.

Edu recalled that several efforts have been made in the past to restore sanity and bring back the old glory of Apapa but which has always been truncated by recalcitrant drivers, adding that this time around, the enlightenment and enforcement exercise would be a continuous one as the agency would not relent until tanker drivers comply with the directive of government.

He said series of meetings had been held with the Petroleum Drivers Tankers (PTD) Branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to educate their members and ensure that the tanker drivers desist from indiscriminate parking and indiscipline attitude as this could pose danger to other road users.

The LASTMA GM urged all tanker drivers to adhere strictly to the new directive, as the State Government would not hesitate to enforce traffic rules and regulations to the latter whenever they violate the law.

Edu called on the public to take possession of the cleared roads , and not hesitate to inform the agency of any broken down or abandoned tankers and trucks on Apapa – Oshodi Expressway as LASTMA has been empowered to response promptly to distress.