Residents and motorists who ply the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway heaved a sigh of relief on Monday, as the usual sight of trailers and tankers parked indiscriminately on the highway was nowhere to be found.
The move gave way to a free flow of traffic, as the nearly three hours journey from Oshodi to Mile 2 and to Apapa now takes about 30 minutes.
Commercial bus operators and Passengers could not hold back their joy on discovering that the over 2500 tankers had quit the highway.
Monday’s intervention by the Lagos State government started two weeks ago when Governor Babatunde Fashola paid an unscheduled visit to the Apapa area and issued a seven-day ultimatum to the truck and tank drivers parked on the expressway to vacate or have their vehicles impounded.
When the ultimatum, expired on Sunday, the enforcement team of the state government, in collaboration with the police, members of para-military organisations and military men, led by the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko and the state Task Force Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, moved in to dislodge the truck drivers that proved ‘stubborn’.
Over 60 tankers were impounded by the enforcement team while the squad, armed with floodlights and sophisticated demolition equipment, also demolished illegal structures, including shops and buildings within the Apapa area. The exercise was a follow up on the directive of the governor to stop the nuisance caused by miscreants and street urchins who had found refuge under the bridges and hitherto served as hideouts for criminals.
