By Thompson ABISOLA
Tanker driver’s union in Lagos on Monday appealed to Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode not to abandon the Orile tanker terminal project started by the state government few months ago.
The Orile Branch of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), made the appeal in Lagos.
Secretary, NUPENG, Orile PTD Branch,Mr Kehinde Ishola said that Ambode should continue the good work at the Orile park to tackle the gridlock on the Apapa corridor.
Ishola said: “There should be an extension of the tanker terminal started some months ago and enlarging the existing terminal to accommodate more tankers.
“Recently, we discovered the work at the site suddenly stopped after governorship primary election.
“We are begging the governor because the Apapa gridlock is affecting many businesses in the state,’’
According to him, the union has removed all tankers that could disturb construction works on site.
Ishola said that the union had also complied with the directives given by the state government to ensure prompt completion of the project.
“It is unfortunate that the work is now turning to an abandoned project. Even at the stage it is now, we cannot park inside the place,’’ he said.
Ishola said that tanker drivers parked indiscriminately on the road due to inadequate space at the Orile terminal, saying that the completion of the terminal would stop the menace of trucks parking on the highways.
“The state government should come to our aid by completing the project for orderly parking of our trucks.
“The space here can accommodate more than 5,000 tankers if properly arranged.
“It is very dangerous and at the same time not proper as a city or country for our highways to be filled with trucks and tankers, It is not ideal,’’ he told NAN.
Mr Ladipupo Dada, a tanker driver, also appealed for speedy completion of the construction works.
“It was a surprise to us here because the pace of work was fast before now but we discovered that after the primary election the work stopped.
“We appeal to the state government to continue the work here to allow us have enough parking space so as to curb the gridlock on highways leading to Apapa port,“ Dada said.
The Lagos State Government on July 1, 2018, directed tanker drivers to ply designated trailer routes – Apapa-Oworonshoki Expressway via Ogudu to Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The directive followed an ultimatum given on road worthiness certificate as a result of a tanker explosion on Otedola Bridge inward Ojodu Berger on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in June 2018.
The state government had mandated all owners of articulated trucks coming into Lagos to obtain the Ministry of Transportation’s Road Worthiness Certificate at any of the designated centres within 30 days.
