Port Access Roads blocked as Syndicates Profit From Chaos

The notorious traffic gridlock which for many years  crippled Apapa and its business environ is fiercely resurging, threatening to paralyze movement and port operations again.

Despite previous interventions, residents, commuters, and port workers are now facing renewed  congestion as truckers and tankers swarm the port access roads daily.

Investigations by the Network of Nigerian Maritime Journalists (NNMJ) reveal that a long trail of trucks  is building up from both the Costain and Mile 2 entry points.

From the Ijora-Olopa Bridge to Apapa and from Coconut Bus Stop to Tin Can Island’s gates, long queue of trucks, allegedly paying between N30,000 and ₦50,000 to “collaborative” traffic agents and extortionists.

Sources alleged that some officials of key agencies—including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and the Nigeria Police—are complicit in the illegal toll collection, turning a blind eye as the situation worsens.

The most affected areas include Wharf Road, Warehouse Road, Commercial Road, Burma Road and Creek Roads

mornings and evenings, vehicle owners often abandon their cars and resort to motorcycles to escape the gridlock.

Moses Fadipe, former National Coordinator of the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT), attributed the resurgence to the return of vested interests who previously profited from the chaos.

He noted that the Lagos State Government knows what steps to take to prevent a full-blown crisis.

Martins Enibeli, President of the Nigerian Institute of Shipping (NIS) and the Nigerian Licensed Ship Chandlers Association (NILSCA), blamed government insincerity for the resurgence of the gridlock.

He urged authorities to prioritise rail transport for cargo evacuation from Lagos ports and to revive Eastern and Delta ports to ease pressure on Apapa.

“Bonded terminals should be relocated far from the ports and connected by rail. Government must stop concentrating port operations in the West while neglecting other regions,” Enibeli stated.

A senior official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that a syndicate involving both state and non-state actors is profiting from the tolls collected from truckers, exacerbating the traffic crisis.

Stakeholders are calling for urgent federal intervention to dismantle the alleged racketeering network and restore sanity to Apapa’s transport corridors.