Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, has given the assurance that work would be quickly completed on the expansion of the Orile Tanker Terminal in Lagos State.
The governor gave the assurance while appealing to the residents of the area to endure in view of the inconvenience they might be facing.
According to him, between six and eight months, the project would be completed.
The facility is a 1000-capacity located at Orile-Iganmu area to rid the area of the gridlock that has made driving unbearable.
The facility will, upon completion, accommodate the trucks and tankers that had constituted a major problem.
Speaking during the flagging off of the terminal, Ambode said the move was to bring an end to the Apapa gridlock.
“One of the other resolutions is that we should have authorised truck terminal park and so my visit to this place today is to flag off the reconstruction of this terminal so that we can accommodate 1000 trucks.
“We will do this in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority so that the call-up system can work efficiently.
“The expansion we are adding to this particular terminal in which we have decided to acquire the adjoining land, we will use that primarily for non-petroleum trucks so that we can sectionalise these trucks and allow the call-up system to work,” he said.
The governor added that the government would also make use of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway with a capacity to accommodate not less than 5,000 trucks.
His words: “I have just been briefed that we have an additional land space in Ijanikin that can accommodate 5000 trucks.
“We will explore that possibility immediately; all that we are doing is just to make sure that there is a permanent solution to this whole idea of trucks destroying our bridges and roads.”
The governor said with the commitment of the Federal Government to start the reconstruction of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, the problem of traffic in the area would soon be a thing of the past.
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“You will recall that about two weeks ago, we had a stakeholders’ meeting with the Vice President presiding in Apapa and at that meeting, we resolved that we will ensure that the reconstruction of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway will be awarded within two weeks.
“This has been fulfilled by the Federal Government; they have awarded the contract and construction should commence within the next two weeks.
“We thank the President, Vice President, Minister of Power, Works and Housing, and that of Transport for reconstruction of Oshodi-Apapa Expressway and the rail track from Apapa Ports to Ibadan which is strictly a cargo rail that will assist in moving heavy-duty goods away from the Apapa axis,” Ambode said.
