24th February, 2012
The Lagos State Government has removed 120 tankers parked illegally on the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway following the expiration of its ultimatum to tanker drivers to remove them.
The government will not impose fine on the tanker drivers for removing the vehicles for them, it was learnt. This is because the government and the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Union of NUPENG, had reached agreement on this.
Commissioner for Transportation, Kayode Opeifa, who supervised the clearing of the tankers from the expressway on Thursday in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, disclosed to newsmen.
Opeifa, who led the monitoring team, comprising top government officials in the ministries of transportation and the environment; the Lagos State Task Force; the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs), Park Monitoring Committee, Abandoned and Disused Vehicles Committee, said that the clearing of the abandoned vehicles became necessary to check the excesses of tanker drivers on this axis.
He said the state government, being a responsible and responsive one, will ensure that every citizen use this road and not only the tankers or trucks carrying containers.
He explained that the government would continue its enlightenment and enforcement exercise to persuade tanker drivers to park their vehicles on one lane of the service lane.
Opeifa appealed to motorists to start plying the road and report to the Ministry of Transportation any broken down or abandoned oil tankers and trucks on Apapa–Oshodi Expressway.
He lamented the environmental nuisance constituted by the oil tanker drivers on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway such as repairing of vehicles on the road, excreting in the drainage and on the roads, blocking of the drainage system with pure water sachets and selling of oil right on the drainage system, among others.
The commissioner urged the Petroleum Drivers Tankers (PTD) branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) to educate their members and ensure that drivers desist from this unhealthy attitude.
Opeifa, who said that the state government was not unaware of the problems posed by the failure of petroleum distribution, however, urged the Ministry of Petroleum and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to rise up to the challenge of petroleum distribution and ensure that only tankers ready to load petroleum products were the ones issued with tickets to come to Lagos to load petroleum products.
He said that the state government was not comfortable with the huge number of tankers queing on the road to load and disturbing those which are due to load products. He added that the Lagos State Government has the responsibility to the people to keep traffic moving with pride, dignity and honour.
Opeifa urged tanker drivers to adhere strictly to the directive and maintain only one lane on the service lane because the government will not hesitate to enforce traffic rules and regulations to the letter whenever they violate the law.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga