Following the havocs wreaked by the reckless driving of container and truck drivers, the Lagos State government has ordered that all containerized truck and fuel tankers parked along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway be removed. Though an order had been passed but was extended by 48 hours.
Mr. Ladi Lawanson, the Commissioner for Transportation, disclosed this after monitoring the progress of the exercise. He expressed satisfaction on the progress of the work – a charge taken on by the task force to free the road from Toyota to Mile 2 after a friday to sunday rigorous operation.
The state government ordered that the exercise be tagged: “Operation Restore Sanity On Lagos Roads.”
The Task Force, which was a combination of armed personnels drawn from the Police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Others are the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the Nigerian military, made up of the Army, Air Force and the Navy, making a total of 2,271 personnels.
The operation also involved relevant unions within the maritime sector, such as Amalgamation of Container Truck Owners Association, as well as the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
Also included are the Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NATO), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), and the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), among others.
Giving details on the operation, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan said strict evacuation had taken place on Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Funsho Williams Avenue and Mile 2-Orile Road. He further stated that over 2000 articulated vehicles had been removed from the road.
He also added that the evacuation of flat belt trucks causing gridlock at Ijora, Isolo, Amuwo-Odofin, Orile, Apapa and Ijesha was achieved with the help of two Goliath caterpillars, deployed by LASEMA.