There are concerns that anarchy may return to Apapa as the Lagos Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA is yet to take control of the axis three days after the federal Government handed over the restoration of law and order as well as the control of traffic management to the Lagos State government.
It was learnt that the decision to hand over the continued enforcement of law and order to Lagos State was taken on Wednesday at a meeting with the representatives of the Vice President, Nigeria Port Authority, the Federal Road Safety Corps and other federal agencies.
President Muhammadu Buhari had inaugurated a Presidential Taskforce headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo as the Chairman and Comrade Kayode Opeifa as the Vice Chairman, to restore sanity on the axis following the near total collapse of law and order which led to indiscriminate parking of trucks, tankers, containerized heavy duty vehicles on roads leading to Apapa and its environs.
With the Presidential Taskforce, normalcy has since returned on the axis with the disappearance of trucks and tankers on the bridges and roads on Ikorodu road, Iganmu road and other axis leading to Apapa.
The taskforce team was able to check corruption and define a strategy that guarantee easy access to Apapa for the residents, business owners and other stakeholders.
But there have been serious concerns among the stakeholders and residents who had also commended the Professor Yemi Osinbajo-led presidential taskforce for the restoration of sanity over failure of the Lagos State government to take ownership of the control of the traffic situation for the past three days the presidency directed the state government to take charge.
The stakeholders, who also expressed doubt over the ability of LASTMA to sustain normalcy and build on the success already recorded by the presidential taskforce, lamented that the state traffic management agency is yet to take control of the axis days after the decision was taken and the chaotic traffic situation has begun to resurface.
Speaking on the development, a resident, Mr Seun Adeoye expressed worry that Apapa might become inaccessible again with the withdrawal of presidential taskforce, wondering if LASTMA could effectively enforce the law and order as the presidential taskforce did.
