The Minster of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), on Sunday inspected the ongoing rehabilitation of access road to Apapa/Tin Can Island Port in Lagos, calling for the movement of cargo across the country by rail in order to save the nation’s roads.
Fielding questions from newsmen after the inspection of the project, which included the construction of a new bridge running parallel to the existing one from Liverpool Roundabout across Port Novo Creek, Fashola, who expressed dismay at the rate the roads and bridges are collapsing as a result of stress of cargoes on them by tankers and trailers, warned that unless the trend is reversed, the transportation business would be adversely affected.
The Minister said there was the need for all the stakeholders, including government and all those in the transportation business, especially those in the trailer and tanker business moving cargo across the country, to agree on reverting to rail transportation as means of moving heavy cargo in order to save the roads.
Recalling that he had in the past suggested to the drivers of articulated vehicles moving heavy cargos to begin to think of alternative means, seeing the damage they cause on the roads, Fashola pointed out that if this was not done in time, the roads may collapse and so would their business.
He said: “In the past, I told all the tanker drivers that if they could move from rail transport to tanker and container transport on roads and we have seen the damage we have done, there is no reason we cannot move back.”
He added that although it may take time, but there must be a common agreement to move off the roads “because if the roads fail, the transport business dies”.
He declared: “So in the same way they import trailers to move their cargo, they can begin to make arrangements to import wagons.
“We must all agree that this is the way to go.
“I am convinced that this is the way to go for the future.”
Fashola said Nigerians have even designed tankers beyond the capacity found in any other parts of the world, adding: “We must all agree because this is not sustainable.”
Fashola suggested that instead of building and reconstructing the rail lines, the same containers and tankers could be configured to run on tracks, adding that the present administration was now moving cattle by rail from the North to Lagos.
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