Traffic management failure triggers gridlock at Lekki Port, Dangote Refinery 

 

 

 

By Oluwabunmi Ogunjimi

PORT operations at the Lekki Deep Sea Port are gradually being disrupted by worsening traffic congestion, as the failure of the Lagos State Government to effectively enforce traffic rules and regulations along the axis continues to impede the movement of trucks and other port-bound vehicles.

The situation has raised concerns among stakeholders, who fear that prolonged traffic gridlock could further hamper cargo evacuation and negatively impact port operations.

Already, the deployment of an electronic call-up system to regulate the movement of trucks into and out of the port areas has been operational. However, the failure of the Lagos State Government to ensure that truckers use designated truck parks for proper traffic management before being called up to access the port for cargo evacuation has remained a major challenge.

Already, investors in truck park facilities are beginning to count their losses as the poor patronage of the parks erodes confidence in the investment environment, despite assurances from the Lagos State Government.

Some of the affected truck parks, including Hog Amazon, Nilmage, Diamond Star, Precy Integrated, Admor, Goldspeed and Tal Concept, are reportedly lying idle, while nearly 1,000 trucks are indiscriminately parked along the port access road, waiting to be called into the terminals to evacuate cargoes.

Reacting to the development, Managing Director of Lekki World and a major stakeholder in the port axis, Mr. Adeola Olusodo, acknowledged that the worsening gridlock had become a serious challenge for both residents and businesses in the area.

Olusodo said efforts were ongoing to address the situation and restore smooth traffic flow. However, he stressed that enforcement of traffic regulations was not the responsibility of Lekki World.

He added that he was engaging with the Lagos State Ministry of Transport to explore ways of resolving the traffic challenges as quickly as possible.

He said, “We do not regulate traffic. The Lagos State Government, through its agency, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), is responsible for ensuring that truck movements are properly regulated along the port corridor.”

Also reacting, Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Sesan Olowa, told Vanguard that there was a limit to what the council could do to address the situation.

He explained that the Lagos State Government was currently engaging relevant stakeholders, including the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), to find a lasting solution to the challenge.

Olowa said, “It is still a work in progress. It is not the council’s place to enforce state laws, but I know that the Lagos State Ministry of Transport is engaging the parties involved in ensuring the smooth movement of vehicles along the port corridor.

“We can only appeal to them to make use of the accredited truck parks for ease of movement for everybody.” Olowa stated

In his reaction, the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Seun Osiyemi, acknowledged the gridlock along the Lekki Port corridor, but said the situation was not permanent.

Osiyemi explained that the congestion was often triggered by rumours of impending increases in the prices of petroleum products, prompting truck drivers to rush to the port to evacuate products before any hike took effect.

He added that the government was committed to enforcing traffic regulations while ensuring that such measures did not unnecessarily disrupt business activities.

Osiyemi said: “We cannot enforce regulations by force, so as not to trigger any form of protest. We understand that sometimes there is a rush to the port to load products due to rumours of a price hike, and in such cases, we deploy trucks to designated parks to ease vehicular movement along the corridor.”

Cyril Jonah of Jancy Truck Park, one of the truck park operators who spoke to Vanguard, said the parks were facing challenges because most truck drivers secured their call-up tickets before arriving at the port.

As a result, the drivers preferred to proceed directly to the port to load their cargoes rather than report to the designated truck parks, thereby undermining the parks’ role in managing truck movements and easing congestion along the corridor.

Jonah attributed the uncoordinated movement of trucks along the corridor to the Lagos State Government’s failure to effectively enforce existing traffic regulations, noting that the four accredited truck parks in the axis were largely underutilised.

He disclosed that truck park owners had engaged the Lagos State Government on the need for proper management of truck movements, but said the discussions had yet to yield any concrete outcome.

He said: “Most of these trucks already have their Call-Up tickets before they arrive at the port to load or pick up containers. Once they have secured the tickets, they see no reason to proceed to the truck parks, largely because of the lack of enforcement by the government.

“There are four accredited truck parks in the axis, but only a few trucks are currently using them. We have engaged the Lagos State Government on the readiness of the parks to receive the trucks, but the truckers are not forthcoming.”

Another park operator, Mr. Shile Oloto, Managing Director of admoore of Park, disclosed that more than N500 million in bank loans had been invested in the park over the past three years without any corresponding return on investment (ROI).

Oloto attributed the situation to the failure of the Lagos State Government to effectively enforce traffic regulations, which he said had contributed to the underutilisation of accredited truck parks in the axis.

Also commenting on the situation, the Port Manager, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lekki Port, Mr. Emmanuel Anda, attributed the poor enforcement of traffic regulations along the corridor to the non-involvement of the NPA in the formulation of the truck Call-Up System.

Anda disclosed that there had been instances where both sides of the road were completely blocked by tankers and container trucks due to enforcement failures, further worsening traffic congestion along the corridor.

He explained that the unregulated movement of trucks had also resulted in multiple fatal road accidents, warning that more lives could be lost if the situation was allowed to continue unchecked.

The Port Manager further explained that the high volume of activities within the Lekki Free Trade Zone requires an efficient traffic management system to ensure the smooth and uninterrupted flow of vehicular movement along the corridor.

He disclosed that the NPA had concluded plans to convene a meeting with all relevant stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the recurring traffic gridlock along the corridor.

He said: “The traffic situation has become a major challenge for us at the NPA, partly because of the non-involvement of the Authority in the Call-Up System for the Lekki Port corridor. The Call-Up System at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports is working because the NPA was involved from the beginning.

“Besides, the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and other roads in the axis is another factor, as the movement of heavy-duty vehicles sometimes slows down traffic.

“The presence of traffic regulators is also inadequate. We hardly see personnel of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and every day we record fatal motor accidents due to the unregulated movement of vehicles.

“Something drastic needs to be done, and very soon, while we await interventions from the relevant government authorities.”

Some truckers who spoke to Vanguard acknowledged that the Electronic Call-Up System was functioning efficiently. However, they stressed that the system would only achieve its intended purpose if truckers were required to report to designated truck parks before proceeding to the ports.

However, a detachment of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) was seen patrolling the coastal road leading to the port and refinery, in a bid to ensure the free flow of vehicular traffic.

Efforts to obtain comments from Mr Sola Giwa, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to his phone were not answered.

Reacting, Mike Idike, Head of Operations at Call-Up, said the technology is fully functional, stressing that the major challenge is the effective utilisation of designated truck parks. He noted that persistent non-compliance by truck drivers continues to undermin

e the system’s effectiveness.