Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has said that 200 security officers would be deployed to Apapa and Tin-Can Ports to clear the gridlock on the route and enforce compliance on truck not to park on the road.
Taiye Elebiyo-Edeni, Media Assistant to the minister, said Amaechi disclosed this during a meeting with maritime stakeholders and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria in Lagos.
The union had threatened to go on strike if government failed to address the gridlock on the route.
He, however, said that there should be a steering committee headed by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Magdalene Ajani, to sit monthly until the challenges are overcome.
Other members of the committee would be from the Nigerian Ports Authourity, Nigerian Shippers Council, MWUN, Road Safety and Lagos State government.
Amaechi directed the committee to write to the Inspector General of Police for more officers for the assignment.
“The issue of traffic on these routes is because in Nigeria, we don’t discipline people. People do whatever they like even when it’s wrong because there is no consequence for our actions. We need security officers to enforce compliance on trucks blocking the road.
“One hundred men at Tin Can and Apapa to be stationed there every day because Nigerians don’t obey until there are consequences for actions. NPA, Shippers Council must have a level of funding to resolve this challenge.
“We need to talk to shippers and traders especially those around Warri, to see how they can be using Warri port, so that Lagos ports will be decongested, we can get security to follow the cargoes to that area, so that traders from Aba, Onitsha that are ready to use that port can go there.”
Speaking, the Deputy Secretary General of MWUN, Abudu Eroje, said that the union wanted to go on strike because of the hardship workers faced every day trying to go to work because of the gridlock.
He said that the union is now part of the implementation committee which took a decision that letters will be sent out to all relevant stakeholders giving an ultimatum when all trucks must leave the road back to their various parks.
Eroje said that a Manuel call-up system would commence before the electronic system to enable all access road to Tin Can by Mile 2 be cleared.
He said that before the date of ultimatum expires, all truck owners, relevant stakeholders would be sensitized before enforcement.
