DEATH TRAPS: Truck Owners Threaten Strike Over Bad Access Roads in Apapa
By DAPO OLAWUNI
The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has threatened to embark on withdrawal of their members services due to the deplorable state of the port access roads leading to Apapa and Tin Can Island ports which it described as death traps.
AMATO warned that if nothing is done to palliatives on the road within a week starting from 12th of November 2021, its members would withdraw their services in the best interest of national economy.
In a statement sent to DAILY TREND NEWS at the weekend by Chairman of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, the group stated that the ongoing construction of the Tin Can Port axis of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway has taken too long.
According to him, the bad state of the road is taking a negative toll truckers as they are most time robbed, maimed and lose the cargoes they were carrying after haven to slow down at these bad spots on the road.
“As we are all aware, Apapa and Tin Can ports are without iota of doubt, the gate-way to our nation’s economy. Hence, the roads deserve to be be given a serious and emergency attention in order to make them the best amongst all roads in Nigeria but unfortunately, the road have been abandoned to become potential accident and death traps over the years”
“Despite government allocation of resources for the repair of these roads, some strategic portions of roads in Apapa and Tincan port access roads have become death and accident traps where trucks carrying loaded containers and fuel tanks keep falling on a daily basis spilling their contents, properties getting damaged, lives being lost and traffic robbers taking advantage of trucks/cars slowing down at road pot holes to rob motorists at gun point and sometimes, burgle and divert containers”
“Why is it taking so long and difficult for the contractors working on these roads to complete their job despite huge amount of money earmarked for the road construction project by government?
“Therefore, in response to the loss of lives, property and economic loses that we have been suffering as results of the failed portions of roads in Apapa and Tincan port access roads, we are using this medium to inform the authority and general public at large that if nothing is done, even if it’s a palliative within a week starting from today, the 12th of November 2021, we would have no choice than to withdraw our services in the best interest of our national economy, security of lives and property.
