Traffic Failure Chokes Lekki Port, Dangote Refinery Corridor, Puts Lives, Investments At Risk

KOREDE DAMIFOGO

The worsening failure of traffic management along the Lekki Port–Dangote Refinery corridor is threatening to cripple port and refinery-related operations, as nearly 1,000 trucks reportedly line the access roads while fatal road accidents occur almost daily.

The deepening gridlock is also putting millions of naira invested in accredited truck parks at risk, with operators accusing the Lagos State Government of failing to enforce regulations requiring port-bound trucks to use designated parks before proceeding to the terminals.

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Stakeholders warned that unless urgent measures are taken to restore order along the corridor, the congestion could worsen cargo evacuation, disrupt business activities within the Lekki Free Trade Zone and expose motorists, truckers and residents to further danger.

The crisis persists despite the deployment of an electronic Call-Up System designed to regulate truck movements into and out of the port.

Stakeholders, however, said the technology is being undermined by poor enforcement, particularly the failure to ensure that truckers report to designated parks before being called up to the port.

Instead, hundreds of trucks are said to be parking indiscriminately along the port access road, creating bottlenecks and restricting the movement of other vehicles.

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Truck park operators said the development had rendered their facilities largely idle and raised serious concerns about the viability of investments made in anticipation of a structured truck management system.

Among the affected facilities are Hog Amazon, Nilmage, Diamond Star, Precy Integrated, Admor, Goldspeed and Tal Concept.

One of the park operators, Cyril Jonah of Jancy Truck Park, said truckers often arrive at the corridor with Call-Up tickets already secured, leaving them with little incentive to report to the designated parks.

According to him, the situation has effectively weakened the role of the parks in controlling truck movements and preventing congestion.

“Most of these trucks already have their Call-Up tickets before they arrive at the port to load or pick up containers. Once they have secured the tickets, they see no reason to proceed to the truck parks, largely because of the lack of enforcement by the government.

“There are four accredited truck parks in the axis, but only a few trucks are currently using them. We have engaged the Lagos State Government on the readiness of the parks to receive the trucks, but the truckers are not forthcoming,” he said.

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Another operator, Managing Director of Hog Amazon Park, Mr. Shile Oloto, disclosed that more than N500 million in bank loans had been invested in the facility over the past three years, without any corresponding return on investment.

Oloto blamed the situation on inadequate enforcement of traffic regulations, which he said had contributed to the underutilisation of accredited truck parks.

He said the continuing congestion was not only affecting investors but also undermining the purpose for which the parks were established.

The Managing Director of Lekki World and a major stakeholder in the area, Mr. Adeola Olusodo, also acknowledged the worsening gridlock, describing it as a serious challenge to residents and businesses operating along the corridor.

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Olusodo, however, said traffic regulation was outside the responsibility of Lekki World, noting that the Lagos State Government, through the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, was responsible for regulating truck movements.

He said he was engaging the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation on possible measures to restore free movement along the corridor.

“We do not regulate traffic. The Lagos State Government, through its agency, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), is responsible for ensuring that truck movements are properly regulated along the port corridor,” he said.

The Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Sesan Olowa, also admitted that the council had limited powers to enforce state traffic regulations.

Olowa said the Lagos State Government was engaging stakeholders, including the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, and the National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, to find a lasting solution.

“It is still a work in progress. It is not the council’s place to enforce state laws, but I know that the Lagos State Ministry of Transport is engaging the parties involved in ensuring the smooth movement of vehicles along the port corridor.

“We can only appeal to them to make use of the accredited truck parks for ease of movement for everybody,” he said.

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The Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Seun Osiyemi, acknowledged the congestion but dismissed concerns that the situation was permanent.

Osiyemi attributed some of the sudden surges in truck movements to rumours of impending increases in petroleum product prices, saying truck drivers sometimes rush to the port to evacuate products before an anticipated price increase.

He said the government was committed to enforcing traffic regulations while avoiding measures that could trigger protests or unnecessarily disrupt business activities.

“We cannot enforce regulations by force, so as not to trigger any form of protest. We understand that sometimes there is a rush to the port to load products due to rumours of a price hike, and in such cases, we deploy trucks to designated parks to ease vehicular movement along the corridor,” he said.

However, the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Lekki Port, raised a more serious concern, warning that the traffic disorder was increasingly becoming a threat to lives and port operations.

The Port Manager, Mr. Emmanuel Anda, attributed part of the enforcement gap to the NPA’s non-involvement in the formulation of the truck Call-Up System for the Lekki Port corridor.

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According to him, the difference is evident when compared with the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports, where the NPA was involved in the development and implementation of the Call-Up System.

Anda said there had been occasions when tankers and container trucks completely blocked both sides of the road, worsening congestion and creating dangerous conditions for other road users.

More worrying, he said, was the frequency of fatal road accidents along the corridor.

“The traffic situation has become a major challenge for us at the NPA, partly because of the non-involvement of the Authority in the Call-Up System for the Lekki Port corridor. The Call-Up System at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports is working because the NPA was involved from the beginning.

“Besides, the construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and other roads in the axis is another factor, as the movement of heavy-duty vehicles sometimes slows down traffic.

“The presence of traffic regulators is also inadequate. We hardly see personnel of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, and every day we record fatal motor accidents due to the unregulated movement of vehicles.

“Something drastic needs to be done, and very soon, while we await interventions from the relevant government authorities,” he said.

Anda stressed that the volume of commercial activities within the Lekki Free Trade Zone made efficient traffic management critical to the uninterrupted operation of the port and other major industrial facilities in the area.

He disclosed that the NPA was planning to convene a meeting involving relevant stakeholders to develop a lasting solution to the recurring congestion.

Truckers who spoke on the crisis acknowledged that the electronic Call-Up System itself was functioning effectively.

They, however, argued that the system could not achieve its full purpose unless truckers were compelled to report to designated parks before proceeding to the port.

The Head of Operations at Call-Up, Mike Idike, also confirmed that the technology was fully operational.

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He identified persistent non-compliance by truck drivers and poor utilisation of designated truck parks as the major obstacles to achieving effective traffic management along the corridor.

Meanwhile, a detachment of the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, was seen patrolling the coastal road leading to the port and refinery in an effort to maintain the free flow of traffic.

Despite the intervention, stakeholders maintained that sustained enforcement, rather than temporary traffic control measures, was required to prevent the corridor from slipping further into chaos.

Efforts to obtain comments from Mr. Sola Giwa, Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Transportation, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages sent to his phone were not answered.

Stakeholders warned that without urgent coordination among the Lagos State Government,  port operators, truckers, park operators and other agencies, the worsening traffic situation could undermine cargo evacuation, jeopardise major investments around the corridor and expose road users to even greater risks.