Apapa gridlock: Lagos applauds Senate’s planned intervention

urges FG to expedite action on trailer park  

The Lagos State government Tuesday applauded the Nigerian Senate for its approval to table a motion moved by Oluremi Tinubu, a senator representing Lagos Central District, on the nerve-wracking gridlock in Apapa, Lagos, and its consequential economic and social implications for Nigeria’s commercial hub.

Steve Ayorinde, the Lagos State commissioner for information and strategy, who gave the commendation, expressed happiness that the development is heart-warming as it has shown that the state government’s efforts at providing solution to the notorious traffic congestion in the axis has finally caught the attention of the National Assembly.

Ayorinde lauded Oluremi Tinubu for her bold step in moving the motion and galvanising her colleagues to address the gridlock and expressed the hope that the Senate would give it priority attention when it is tabled in view of the socio-economic hardships it had continued to cause residents of the state.

The commissioner expressed the optimism that the intervention from the senate would go a long way to also complement other moves by the state government in finding lasting solution to the gridlock and lessen the hardship on the people.

It would be recalled that Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had visited Apapa and its environs to have an on-the-spot assessment of the situation that has become the hallmark of the ports community and gave directives that would ease traffic in the area.

Ambode during his maiden town hall meeting also declared that the traffic gridlock on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway has been a major challenge to traffic management in the state.

And as part of measures to find solution to the gridlock, the state government has appealed to the Federal Government to expedite action on the rehabilitation of the Tin Can Island Bridge, while on its part, has put in place a joint task force that operates round the clock to ensure that traffic situation improves along the axis.

The government is also working on the plan to expand the capacity of the existing trailer Park at Orile to accommodate 1000 trucks from its current capacity of 350.