Illegal parking of articulated vehicles has persisted on the Orile-Iganmu Bridge connecting the National Theatre, Lagos with security operatives aiding and abetting the parking, and making money from the truck drivers.
An investigation by correspondents showed that operatives of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Nigeria Police and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), deployed to the area are making fortunes from the truck drivers and looking the other way while the trucks are parked.
The illegality has been going on for years, questioning the capability of the new administration in Lagos State to tackle illegalities committed by motorists, especially truck drivers on Lagos highways from day to day.
Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub is notorious for lawlessness on its highways by motorists, especially articulated vehicle drivers.
Indiscriminate parking of trucks at Iganmu has forced the management of the National Theatre to lock one of the access gates to the complex, compounding the woes of motorists and workers at the National Theatre.
The impunity of the truck drivers has resulted to the damaging of a section of the perimeter fence of the National Theatre at the NAN end of the facility, leaving the thratre at the mercy of thieves and hoodlums.
Some of the truck drivers, who spoke on why they had been parking on the bridge, alleged that security officials were collecting money from them and allowing them to park on the bridge.
One of them, who pleaded anonymity, said that owners of their trucks had also been paying regularly to the security operatives at the bridge to allow them park not minding the danger the parking had posed to the bridge.
“We paid money to LASTMA and police officials. We are waiting to be taken to the ports later in the night,” the driver revealed.
However, an official of the NSCDC, who pleaded not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak on the issue, accused LASTMA officials, whose office is located under the bridge of being responsible for indiscriminate parking of articulated vehicles at the Iganmu area.
“We have been trying our best to get rid of the trucks but LASTMA officials collect money from the drivers to park on the bridges,” the NSCDC operative alleged.
But a LASTMA official, who also pleaded anonymity, said that LASTMA officials were not involved in allowing truck drivers to park indiscriminate on the Iganmu bridges.
“The trucks under the bridge are those that have been arrested and issued referrals but we are faced with the challenge of where to park the rest of the trucks.
“If we go up there to chase them away, in the next 10 to 20 minutes, they would be back, especially late in the night between 2.00 a.m. and 3.00 a.m. when we are incapacitated without back up.
“We are trying our best to bring sanity back to this axis,” the LASTMA operative stated.
Reacting to the development, Mr Olumide Filade, the spokesman of LASTMA, said that the trucks were not impounded by LASTMA as claimed by his colleague, assuring that authorities of the agency would swing into action and do the needful soon.
“LASTMA has a place where it keeps trucks that are impounded. We are not the one that parked those trucks.
“The commander supervising the area is coming to that place right now to dislodge all trucks illegally parked to inhibit traffic flow”.
Filade recalled that a LASTMA commander was at the place on Oct. 22 to dislodge the trucks.
Also speaking on the matter, members of the Phase Three Branch of the Tanker Drivers Association, alleged that NSCDC officials were the ones collecting money from truck drivers to park on the bridge.
An officer of the association, who gave his name simply as Fashola, said he was making efforts to remove tankers parked under the bridge.
“We are responsible for the tankers under the bridge, but we are promising that the tankers will be removed soonest,” he said.
Similarly, a senior official of the NSCDC, who asked not to be identified, said that the NSCDC would make findings and get back to NAN on the illegal parking. He never did.
When confronted LASTMA, NSCDC and police operatives deployed on the bridge, they all denied collecting money from the truck drivers.
When took the matter of indiscriminate parking of trucks at the National Theatre axis, a director at the theatre, who refused to give his name, said the management of the theatre had taken steps to prevent trucks from blocking the entrance gate of the theatre premises.
“This is why we usually close one side of the gate to prevent them from entering into the complex.
“We will continue to monitor and ensure that our security personnel posted to the gate do their job or face dismissal,” the director said.
The National Theatre is a multi-purpose national monument located at Iganmu in Surulere to host public events, cinemas and other events.
