Lagos threatens to shut down tank farms

Piqued by the traffic situation in Apapa axis of the state, attributed to the situation of tank farms and daily activities of petrol tankers in the area, which has caused untold hardship to commuters and residents in the state, the state government has given a 90-day grace period to operators of all tank farms in the state to build loading bays for their tank farms, or risk being shut down.

Governor Akinwunmi Ambode issued the warning Friday while addressing Government House correspondents shortly after an emergency Security Council Meeting which he chaired.

According to him, any tank farm that fails to provide a loading bay after the grace period, would be shut down by the state government.

“In addition, tank farms owners must desist from allocating pick-up papers to trucks beyond and above their daily capacity as is the case presently,” he said.

He expressed concerns that more tank farms are in the process of being approved, revealing that Lagos alone accounts for 80 percent of the cargo that comes into the country through the ports while about 90 percent of the fuel used across Nigeria is loaded in Lagos.

He also frowned at the fact that three months after meeting with tank farm and petrol tanker owners, they have been unable to come up with a solution to the gridlock caused by the tankers queuing up on roads and bridges to load petroleum products.

Read also: Senate summons NPA boss over Apapa Port gridlock

He however said that the state of affairs that has accentuated traffic gridlock in Apapa area and its environs is no longer tolerable to the State Government saying that necessary arrangements have been made with the relevant Regulatory Institutions to sanction defaulting port users – importers, tank farm owners, terminal operators and shipping companies.

The governor who also spoke on the increase of traffic robberies in the state, said that it had become evident that traffic crimes and robbery are mostly as a result of the menace of Okada riders and street hawkers, while recalcitrant commercial buses have become lawless and reckless on the road.

He also admonished residents of the state to see the last two months of the year as a period that calls for vigilance and a changed attitude towards issues relating to crime and terrorism.

He urged residents to cooperate with the government at all times, just as he warned them against the dangers of patronizing street hawkers.

“The next hawker could be a robber or terrorist. You are now well-advised. If we all cooperate and decide not to buy, gradually and collectively, the hawkers will not come to the highways and streets anymore. Our roads will definitely become safer”, he said.

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