The harrowing experience which motorists, residents and business owners were subjected to in Apapa from early morning to mid-afternoon on Wednesday spoke a lot about the gridlock problem that defines Nigeria’s premier port city.
Just within a couple of days that full business and economic activities resumed after Christmas break, the port city was brought on its knees as a result of gridlock caused by a fallen MACK truck laden with a 40-foot container on Apapa-Ijora bridge, keeping many people on their way to work on the road for hours.
The incident and its far-reaching impact speak volumes about how Nigeria is still in the backwoods, operating a port system without a supporting or dedicated rail line. Supporting ports with dedicated rail lines has long become the norm in other economies whose seaports may not be doing as much port business as the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports in Lagos.
With all its imperfections and man-made challenges, Apapa economy is valued at N25 billion a day. This is accounted for by the operations of the two seaports whose combined activities represent 75 percent of all the import and export activities in Nigeria.
But concerns abound.
“A port city without a rail line will always struggle and part of that struggle is the daily gridlock we contend with whether as individuals, residents, or businesses in this area,” Bode Karunwi, vice chairman of Apapa GRA Residents Association, noted in a phone interview.
Karunwi explained that modern port operation does not depend on road transportation as a means of freighting cargo, saying that the issue of fallen trucks, which happens too often on Apapa roads and bridges, only speaks to the inefficiency of port operations in the country, especially in Apapa.
He pointed out that beyond bad roads infrastructure, Apapa also has other problems such as lack of parking lots for the trucks, noting that the original mistake in this respect was made in the concessioning of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) loading bay at the ports.
Speaking further on Apapa’s problems, Emmanuel Ameke, a port operator, said proliferation of tank farms and concentration of port activities in Lagos while the Eastern ports remain idle would continue to be counter-productive and make life in and around the ports stressful.
In its bid to find solution to the Apapa gridlock, the Federal Government in 2019 set up the Presidential Task Team (PTT) with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as chairman and Kayode Opeifa as executive vice chairman.
The success recorded by the task team in its early days has been eroded by the current surge in traffic jam on Apapa roads and bridges. The port city is back to square one.
Though Opeifa insists the task team is still on track, a member of the team who did not want to be named told BusinessDay that they were really overwhelmed by both truck surge and high level corruption.
Karunwi agreed, adding that the team had also compromised on its assignment.
“Corruption is high; there is too much money exchanging hands and this is why the task team is overwhelmed,” he said. “As residents, we are managing even as we continue to suffer; our properties continue to lose value and businesses continue to relocate or remain and incur losses.”
A resident who did not want to be named shared Karunwi’s sentiments.
“My parents have lived in Apapa for over 40 years and I have known Apapa from my childhood. This place used to be like Ikoyi. Not anymore,” she lamented.
The resident noted that the quest for money has spoilt the port city and this, according to her, was affecting both residents and businesses.
“Before now, Lagoon Hospital used to offer 24-hour service. They don’t do that anymore. They now open at 9am and close by 5pm. Again, they no longer offer emergency services because even some of their doctors don’t come to Apapa for fear of being trapped in the gridlock,” she said.
The resident also cited the Apapa property market which, she said, has been badly affected by the gridlock. According to her, many residents, including her parents, were now selling their property at heavily discounted rates or at prices much below their market value.
“My parents are looking for buyers for our family house and they are not alone in this. Our family house should have, ordinarily, attracted about N250 million, but it is now up for sale at N150 million,” she said. “You even have to beg whoever is ready to buy because there are few buyers out there.”
CHUKA UROKO
