Sanwo-Olu heaps blame on FG for Apapa gridlock

Lagos State governor-elect, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has heaped the blame for the ever present traffic gridlock on the Apapa axis of Lagos on the doorstep of the Federal Government.

Sanwo-Olu who commented on the matter on Sunday during a congratulatory dinner organised in his honour by the 1999/2000 MBA class of University of Lagos (UNILAG), said the FG is playing politics with the road.

He however promised to find a lasting solution to the Apapa gridlock within 60-days of assuming office.

He said: “If the government had been forward looking, it would have known that the volume of imports coming through the Apapa Wharf has since out-grown the port. The Apapa trailer issues is very serious. It was a campaign issue, it is a very serious issue. There is a lot of politics being played around it, but we cannot give excuses. I believe we are going to solve it in the first 60 days. We will take them out.

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“Five to 10 years ago, if we were forward looking, we would have realised that the city has outgrown that port. The long term solution is to build another port because the amount of importation that comes through that port clearly shows we need another port.”

Sanwo-Olu also said Lagos as a mega city has its peculiar challenges but that what matters is how the government is positioned to turn the challenges into opportunities.

“Twenty years ago, Lagos did not have the kind of environment it has today. Lagos did not have 22 million population. Lagos did not have the highest vehicular density in Africa. What has happened is that we have seen growth, we have seen development all around the city, we have seen wealth being created and, of course, a mega city of this status will come with its own challenges, it comes with its own nuisances.

“But the issue is how can we turn all these nuisances and challenges to opportunities and how well is government positioned to be able to handle these challenges?” Sanwo-Olu said.

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