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Dangote trucks cordon Apapa-Oshodi Expressway

By Benjamin Alade
12 July 2019   |   4:20 am
Trucks numbering over 50 have been causing nightmare for motorists and passengers plying the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.The trucks, which largely belong to Dangote Group, the largest indigenous industrial conglomerate in Sub-Saharan Africa....

Some of the parked trucks obstructing traffic flow. PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI

Trucks numbering over 50 have been causing nightmare for motorists and passengers plying the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway.The trucks, which largely belong to Dangote Group, the largest indigenous industrial conglomerate in Sub-Saharan Africa have, left road users in despair, lamentations, frustrations, agony and pain.

Usually parked at the Five Star bus stop, close to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) complex, the trucks streched expands as far to Iyana-Isolo covering both the service lane and the expressway.Aside the trucks, contractors working on the rehabilitation of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, Hitech Construction Company Limited also compounds the problem by diverting traffic to the service lane.

This development has caused commercial vehicles especially Danfo drivers to drive against traffic, which flouts the recent directive of the resuscitated Lagos traffic law by the administration of the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The dreaded gridlock, expereienced on Wednesday, left stranded motorists trekking a long distance to escape the standstill that stretched from Five Star bus-stop to Ilasa bus-stop.

While commuters are not pleased with this development, they blamed their tortuous experience on the road to lack of proper time management, while lamenting that the best time for the execution of such project would have been at night.A bus driver, Solomon Adebanjo, said: “I have been in this traffic for over one hour. This should have been done at night when road users are few plying this route. Now, what would have taken me about three trips in time and fuel is still being spent halfway through to Mile 2. Government should always consider the masses when carrying out projects. Yes, we know it is for the benefit of the people but must the people suffer and almost die before they enjoy little dividends of democracy? When they use the road, it is with big SUVs and escorts of security men to pave the way for them.”

Another stranded motorist said beyond the intermittent road blockage on the road, government should find a solution to the perennial gridlock on Oshodi-Apapa expressway.For Ifeanyi Victor, the Oshodi-Apapa expressway is on lockdown. “I believe it’s because of the ongoing construction works on the road. The contractors are not really putting in the much-needed speed into the work, knowing that many commuters use the road. Honestly, that route is becoming a nightmare.

“Tanker drivers are not helping matters too, as Oshodi to Mile 2; a journey of not more than 10mins, now takes hours, given to the traffic jams on both lanes, thereby putting the road users into so much stress. I urge the government to look into the project.”

Another road user, Daniel Okenimkpe, said part of the difficulties faced by other road users were caused by some drivers of the yellow commercial buses known as ‘Danfo and LT’, who ply one way while heading to Mile 2, thereby blocking the way for those heading to Oshodi.

He said: “The Danfo drivers ply one-way while driving to Mile 2, knowing well enough it’s not their lane. This contributes to the the traffic as everywhere is blocked, and traffic officials focus more on private vehicles doing the same than the commercial buses who don’t care. Some of the commuters cross to the other lane from the flyover at the Airport Road and others cross from the flyover at Cele Roundabout. I beg the authorities to intervene to make life easy for road users.”

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