Stakeholders Set Up Committee To Tackle Cocoanut – Mile 2 Gridlock

Harboursandport.com: Lagos - Stakeholders in the transport sector of the maritime industry has constituted a committee to tackle the problematic gridlock along Cocoanut – Mile 2 end of the port access road despite the commencement of the e-call up system by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

The committee which comprises all trucking associations and unions in the maritime sector will be inaugurated on Friday and are expected to commence traffic enforcement on Monday.

Disclosing this to Harboursandport.com, President of the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA), Olaleye Thompson said that there was a meeting of all the relevant associations and unions at the port today (Thursday 18, 2021) to address the problem.

According to him, “We are holding a meeting concerning that area you are talking about because all the team there has been disbanded; we just want to set up a new team to start work.

“The committee will comprise all the unions and associations that are operating in the port, so that they can all work together, including the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas, NUPENG, Workers. The team is expected to commence work on Monday.

Similarly, the Lagos State Vice Chairman, National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Abdullahi Mohammed Inuwa blamed the gridlock around that axis of the port access road to the activities of the tank farms, tanker drivers and the slow pace of the road construction along that route.

Inuwa said that the e-call system seems to be failing because the tanker drivers heading for the various tank farms in that axis are presently not part of the e-call up system.

He noted that the problem is mostly around the Cocoanut – Mile 2, stressing that it does not affect Tin-can port directly. The NARTO boss pointed out that Lagos Task Team in the last two weeks has ridded the Tin-can axis about three times.

On why the Lagos Task Team is not taking its operation to the Cocoanut – Mile 2 axis, he said it is as a result of the construction presently going on.

On why the tanker drivers are not part of the e-call up system, the Lagos State Vice Chairman of NARTO, said that it is the duty of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) who are the initiator of the e-call up system to involve the tanker drivers.