7,000 Trucks ply the Apapa-wharf road daily
The tale of the over-fed kitten which unfortunately died from constipation is the case of the Lagos seaports and the Apapa-wharf road. The ports have been over-fed with all sorts of trucks from all over Nigeria and the roads have decided to scream desecration to the deaf ears of Nigerians.
It came across as shocking when the Shippers’ Council carried out a survey and discovered that about 7,000 trucks use the Apapa-Wharf road on a daily basis; as profitable as this may sound business-wise, it is heartbreaking that only 2,500 trucks actually end up doing business. Sadly, leaving a whooping 4,500 trucks to idly ply the road. The logistics ring according to the Deputy Director, Monitoring, Enforcement and Compliance, NSC, Mr Cajetan Agu spans from Apapa to Ijora, down to Orile, Mile 2, Tincan Island and back to Apapa.
The discomfiture of this news is rather embarrassing to other road users who have been victims of the incessant traffic build-ups caused by these trucks. Vehicles have one time or the other been involved in road accidents either caused by the dilapidated roads or by coming in contact with these intimidating trucks. It is therefore clear that some trucks have no business on that road.
Searching for the closest body or person(s) to cast the blame on, would definitely not salvage the situation. We only need to realize that the Seaports form the bane of our society, if we decide to approach it in reckless abandon it automatically translates to the fact that it is our society that suffers. Government needs to be alive to its duty; the regulatory bodies need to apply pressure on the government and the road users need to demand value on their tax payment. Until this is done, we might be silently building a nuclear bomb within the Apapa vicinity.