By Chinelo Obogo
In an effort to stop the perennial traffic gridlock along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Lagos State House of Assembly has ordered petroleum tanker drivers, especially the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), to vacate the road.
During a visit by the House Committee on Commerce and Industry to the Ibru Port Complex in Apapa, committee Chairman, Oladele Adekanye expressed displeasure over the perennial gridlock in the area. He said it has led to series of atrocities in the area.
According to him, there is going to be a follow-up to ensure that the tanker drivers vacate the road and that the state is unrelenting to put an end to traffic gridlock in the axis.
“This constant gridlock is counter-productive because this is the major road that leads to the economy hub of the country. The Lagos assembly will ensure that something is done about this, because, it is concerned with the improvement of the state’s economy and all hands will be on deck to assist government,” he said.
Responding, Chairman of the Technical Committee of the Ibru Port, Godfrey Okorie, said NUPENG has been a problem because they refused to evacuate their tankers from the expressway even when the Commissioner of Transportation gave the order.
“We cannot, on our own, compel NUPENG to vacate its tankers but it will take the effort of both federal and state governments as well as other agencies to restore sanity to the area” Okorie said.
Also speaking, General Manager of the complex, Ovie Oghenekaro lamented the persistence gridlock in Apapa and called on the government to come to their aid.
…To regulate borehole water operators
By Cosmas Omegoh
Lagos State Government has said it is taking steps to regulate indiscriminate sinking of boreholes in the city, amid protests from operators who attended a meeting of water vendors convened by the Lagos State Water Corporation in Ijora recently.
Addressing over 1,000 water vendors drawn from all parts of the state, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission, Ahmed Kabir Abdulahi, said “henceforth, government has taken steps to ensure that if you have a borehole, you must have a permit and pay for it.
“The commission is embarking on casing of various boreholes to ensure quality. We are building a database of all borehole owners. We want to know who is who and what each person is doing to ensure public health. Various bore holes need reconstruction; some need chemicals while some are producing water that is not fit for domestic use. And soon, we will be going round to check those who have no regulation.”
Group Managing Director, Lagos Water Corporation, Mr. Adekunle Mumuni Badmus said the objective of the meeting was to improve the health and safety of water supply from Lagos State Water Corporation.”
However, a cross section of the water vendors who attended the event protested the decision of the regulatory agency, saying the move will amount to multiple taxation; they also complained about the quality of water being supplied to them by the water corporation and tasked the organisation to improve on its services.