Photo Caption
The Taskforce Chairman, addressing the press.
By Cliffsimeon Akalonu
The Lagos State Ministry of Transportation and the Lagos Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit, (Taskforce) have warned dredgers, truck drivers and others at Ado Odo, Badore, Ajah to desist from constituting traffic impediments for other road users around the axis.
The Lagos Taskforce Chairman, CSP Shola Jejeloye, gave the warning while addressing the Press at Ago Egun, Ado Odo, Badore Ajah dredging site during the joint traffic enforcement exercise by the Ministry of Transportation and Taskforce yesterday.
The Chairman of the Agency, while reading the riot act said, “we have not come to make an arrest but have come to make our intention known that we will not allow this place, Ago Egun (Badore dredging site) to become a Banana Republic where anything goes”.
He further explained that, “If you check this axis to Badore extension with the convergence of large ferries and many shanties on the water, it has become a criminal hideout, and security threat to the State.”
CSP Jejeloye also lamented the location of many sand dredgers whose activities invites hundreds of trucks in a single day thereby causing a backlog of traffic to the main carriageway.
He added that the traffic gridlock had a negative impact on residents of the axis who spent five hours and more for journeys less than 45 minutes.
The Taskforce Chairman decries the closeness of the dredging site of fewer than five kilometres to the main carriageway as illegal.
He maintained that the time had come for total enforcement which will be sustained until sanity returns to the corridor.
Speaking on the development, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon Oluwatoyin Fayinka who is also the Chairman, Traffic Management Enforcement Team noted that the Ministry of Transportation had invited the dredgers and truck drivers to a Stakeholders meeting severally.
He noted that in one of the meetings guidelines for their operations were also signed. He stated that the recalcitrant attitude of the dredgers and their ‘truck drivers’ customers had led to the State Government decision to wield the big stick of enforcement.
Fayinka stated that, “this operation has become expedient because of the impunity of truck drivers who at times block one lane permanently out of the two available leaving only one for other road users to struggle with, we are not going to allow this to continue, it is absurd,” he disclosed.
The Special Adviser assured that the reports of the Enforcement tour of the axis today will be further evaluated for a better reappraisal for the next line of action which may include sealing off the dredging activities in the axis.
