By ALEX AKAO
Residents and business stakeholders at Apapa have
raised the alarm over what they fear might signal the
imminent collapse of two major bridges leading to
Apapa ports, owing to the continued parking of trucks,
trailers and tankers on them due to the endemic traffic
gridlock in the ports city.
Rising from a joint meeting with representatives of the
business community, which held during the week, the
Apapa GRA Residents Association said it was time to
alert the authorities of the dangers posed to the two
bridges, which now serve as permanent parking bay for
very heavy duty trucks and fuel tankers.
They said such articulated vehicles, which had turned
the two bridges into parking bays following the
seemingly endless traffic jam in the area, had not only
resulted in countless loss in valuable man-hours, but
also may lead to a major national calamity, if not
checked.
The residents at a meeting on Monday, called on the
government to find lasting solution to the problem,
which has led to loss of investments as investors are
now scared of the traffic situation which has become a
permanent phenomenon in the area.
They said properties worth billions of naira are now
unoccupied as businesses are shutting down. On the
other hand, residents are relocating out of Apapa en-
mass and houses up for let abound in their hundreds
with nobody ready to rent, while the real estate
business is dead in Apapa.
In a release signed by Chairman of the group, Mr. Sola
Ayo-Vaughan, it pointed out that “all these ills have
bedevilled Apapa, simply because the fuel tankers and
the containers carrying trucks have blocked all the
access roads leading into the area.”
Ayo-Vaughan further observed that the worse hit are
the residents who live in Apapa, but work outside the
area, as they are constantly faced with unimaginable
dilemma.
He noted that in the event of fire outbreaks in Apapa,
the effect is often pathetic because of lack of access
roads, which often prevent fire fighters from carrying
out rescue operations.
The association threatened to mobilise Apapa people in
tense protest by shutting down all entry and exit points
into Apapa until sanity is restored.
“We strongly condemn this dangerous trend which is
now a norm. The Ijora bridge is physically caving due to
the intense dead weight and constant pressure. The
joints are literally packing. This is disaster in waiting, an
emergency and it is only a matter of time before it
happens.
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