• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Tin Can Trailer Park: Contractor urges patience as construction work continues

Tin Can Trailer Park

Borini Prono, the contractor on the construction of the Tin Can Trailer Park along Apapa-Oshodi Expressway , has urged patience from all Apapa stakeholders as construction work continues on the park two weeks after it was scheduled to be thrown open to truck drivers.

The park which is, arguably, one of the oldest construction sites in Nigeria today, was scheduled to be completed and opened for use two weeks ago as part of resolutions reached at an emergency stakeholders meeting convened at the instance of Senate Committee on Works for the decongestion of Apapa gridlock.

Lilypond Terminal, which was also billed for opening a day before the trailer park, has been in used for two weeks now and the impact has been palpable as Apapa, especially the bridges, are relatively free of rampaging trailers and tankers.

Expectation is that when the Trailer Park comes on stream, Apapa may be walking back to its days as a sought-after destination for living, business and leisure. But it is not going to be tomorrow or next.

“We are still constrained by the absence of necessary facilities at the park, but we are closer now. We are almost there,” Adedamola Kuti, Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, told BusinessDay on phone Friday afternoon, assuring that the park would be opened once the facilities were in place.

Kuti had disclosed that the opening of the park was being delayed by the absence of water and light at the park which was confirmed by an official of Borini Prono official who pleaded to be anonymous.

However, when BusinessDay visited the project site Friday morning, workers were on site but not working on the two facilities. Apart from one welder who was seen working on an iron structure for the over-head water tanks, the rest of the workers were busy casting concrete on the walkway for the shoreline protection on which work was suspended, but now resumed.

A peep into the toilets showed that the tiling work which was in progress during our previous visit had stopped. “We are taking our time, doing it one day at a time,” one of the construction workers told this reporter in a tired tone, hoping that one day work on the park would be over “after so long here.”

Meanwhile, Apapa residents, business owners and motorists have commended whatever effort or initiative that is responsible for the present state of Apapa roads and bridges.

Ayo Vaughn, chairman, Apapa GRA Residents Association, was in high spirits when he spoke with BusinessDay Friday evening, stressing that the residents were happy with the state of the roads and bridges in their domain. He was optimistic that the peace and respite would be sustained.

His reason was that a new taskforce of which he is a member would soon be announced by The President. That taskforce which would ensure that no trucks should be seen on Apapa roads or bridges, he said, would work for only three weeks and hand over to Lagos State government.

Gradually but steadily, Apapa is getting attention from stakeholders, especially the government. The port city was already on the precipice, awaiting implosion. Considerably, it has degenerated in value with its congested ports, degraded environment, decaying infrastructure, devalued property, declining business activities, and disillusioned investors, especially property owners whose assets have lost over 50 percent of their market value.

Now, there is hope. That is the most potent weapon for survival in Apapa today and, as Apostle Paul told Roman converts, “hope does not disappoint us.”

CHUKA UROKO