Apapa LGA Applauds Shippers Council’s PSTT for Restoring Sanity on Access Roads

…As Jime Signs Contract for Evacuation of Drainages, Refuse Dumps from Lagos Ports

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The Chairman of Apapa Local Government, Hon Idowu Adejumoke Sebanjo has commended the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) domiciled under the Nigerian Shippers Council for restoring sanity on the access roads leading in and out of the port city.

The Chairman gave this recommendation on Tuesday when the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Hon Emmanuel Jime and his management team paid a courtesy visit to her office in Apapa.

This is even as the Shippers Council boss has signed a contract to ensure that drainages and debris are evacuated from Apapa and port environment as a sign of partnership with the host community.

The Local Government Chairman, Hon Sebanjo particularly commended the National Cordinator of PSTT, Comrade Moses Fadipe for working tirelessly in ensuring that indiscriminate parking of trucks on port access roads is stopped.

She said that today, workers leave their houses and get to work on time, and they also leave the office back home seamlessly due to the free traffic on the outbound of the Tin Can Island Port.

She however noted that much work still needs to be done on the inbound of the Tin Can Port which has been taken over by trucks seeking entrance into the port to lift cargoes.

She said “We are more than happy to align with you in whatever you are doing, most especially in the clearance of access into the ports.

“A lot of companies have lost confidence in Apapa, they are only coming back onboard now through the effort of the Shippers Council in clearing the access roads.
I want to give kudos to Mr Fadipe who worked tirelessly in clearing the access roads.

“Today, the traffic on the expressway is free, workers leave home so early in the morning and they want to go back home. Apapa is no longer as it used to be, you can now drive in and out at will. I thank Mr Fadipe for the work he has done, and we have always assisted him in whatever request he makes”

On the activities of hoodlums collecting money from truckdrivers on the port access, Hon Sebanjo exonerated the Local Government, saying that she does not give permission for any collection of such monies.

“On our own part, we have ensures that we do not grant the ‘good boys’ permission to collect tolls on the streets of Apapa.

“If they were to be on the streets, the trailers would be more than what it is today.
We have played a major road in curtailing trailers from parking indiscriminately around Apapa” she said

On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Hon Emmanuel Jime commended the Apapa Local Government for haven collaborated in every material way to support the work of the PSTT and the implementation of the Nigerian Ports Process Manual (NPPM)

“The third leg of the NPPM manual is the clearance of the access roads into the port, it is a key component of the work of the PSTT.
This is where we need the buy-in of the Apapa Local Government Area, and their support, there is no way we can be effective without you.

“I want to make you a commitment that in my Corporate Social Responsibility, I will always make certain that if there is an intervention that you need for the good people of Apapa and you need my capacity to deliver, have no hesitation to approach me and I promise to work with you”

While addressing journalists on the sidelines of the visit, Hon Jime noted that Corporate Social Responsibility is an imperative for every agency that works in any community.

“As far as the Apapa Local Government is concerned, cleaning up the environment is a key component of how we can deliver on the health concerns of the residents of the community.

“I can confirm authoritatively that the Nigerian Shippers Council is in partnership with Apapa Local Government in debris evacuation. I actually signed off on it two weeks ago, I have been reminded by the Director of General Services Department of the Shippers Council that this is a major collaboration with the local government” he said

Speaking earlier, the Local Government Chairman, Hon Sebanjo said that 200 trucks of debris were evacuated from the Tin Can Island Port alone in 2022 during the outbreak of a cholera pandemic.

“When we cleared Tin Can Port, we had over 200 trucks when they had a cholera outbreak last year, we cleared over 200 trucks and yet we have not evacuated half of the debris. So, it is a matter of all hands on deck.

“Clearing of debris on the roads is a herculean task and the local government cannot do it alone. Everyday, out trucks are out there cleaning what we can, but you find out that other agencies who are responsible for the cleaning cannot come into Apapa because of the traffic, so they have left it, some of their staff have stopped coming into Apapa because of traffic and accident by trucks.

“The filths are coming from the traders and the truckers” she stated