The presidential task team on the restoration of law and order on Apapa traffic gridlock has outlined its achievements to the federal government following the completion of its assignment and official handover to the Lagos state government.
According to Kayode Opeifa, former executive vice chairman of the presidential task team on restoration of law and order on Apapa road said, ‘’ “After weeks of careful planning, I am pleased to announce that the presidential task team charged with the responsibility of restoration of law and order on Lagos roads leading to Apapa and around Lagos port and maritime logistics corridor has successfully handed over its activities to the LASG to be supported by the Lagos state police command.”
President Muhammadu Buhari had on April 25, 2019 inaugurated the task force chaired by vice president Yomi Osinbajo with Kayode Opeifa, the former commissioner for transportation in Lagos state as the executive vice chairman.
Kayode Opeifa listed some of his committee’s achievement to include restoration of law and order on roads leading to the Lagos ports and within the port maritime logistic corridor, removal of all stationary trucks on Lagos roads leading to the ports and the development and deployment of an efficient and effective traffic management plan for the entire port area traffic (including the cargo, fuel distribution and business district traffic).
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Other areas of achievements are traffic management direction as contained in the presidential task team released operational order, guidelines and modus operandi which incorporates port operations, incident rescue management, truck throughput and park management and special purpose Apapa port area traffic management with strict enforcement protocols.
Opeifa expressed confidence that the current; operating system backed by appropriate enforcement has the capacity to clean up any congestion within two to six hours with the cooperation of major stakeholders, backed by an effective incidence and recovery management system by the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and Lagos Recovery Unit (LRU).
The former executive vice chairman also disclosed that during his tenure, the team ensured the development and deployment of a manual call up system pending the introduction of an electronic system by the NPA.
The system incorporated into the traffic management plan envisaged trucks are called from nominated parks into transit parks of (Lilypond and Tincan Island Transit Truck Parks) for call up into the ports. Working with NPA and the NSC, the team developed and deployed a workable empty container return handling policy to handle cempty containers.
During the period, there was a reduction in the cost of port cargo haulage from the ports to different parts of the country, with an improved port cargo trucks haulage throughput and turnaround time.
