Residents, motorists, and business owners along the Berger/Kirikiri corridor have blamed the worsening traffic congestion on the Mile 2-Apapa Expressway on the growing number of container terminals in the area, describing the facilities as the major cause of the persistent gridlock.
The heavy traffic on Monday left thousands of commuters stranded for hours, with many abandoning their journeys and returning home.
An auto dealer, Ekene Iruanya, said the traffic situation became significantly worse after the container terminals began operations.
According to him, trucks transporting empty containers to the terminals frequently occupy the roadway, creating bottlenecks despite the presence of traffic management officials.
“There is nothing else causing this traffic other than the terminals opposite the Catholic Church. Before they came here, this road was free. Today, you have three different terminals receiving containers and all the trucks are heading there,” he said.
Iruanya added that personnel from the Nigerian Navy, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and other security agencies are regularly deployed to manage traffic in the area, but their efforts have had little impact because of the volume of trucks.
He urged the government to reconsider the location of the terminals, arguing that relocating or shutting them down would significantly ease congestion along the road leading to Kirikiri, the Nigerian Correctional Service facilities, and the Naval Barracks.
Terminal operator responds
A representative of one of the container terminal operators denied that the facility alone was responsible for the congestion, noting that several terminals within the corridor receive containers.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the terminal currently handles only empty containers and has become busier because other facilities receiving similar cargo are no longer operating at full capacity.
“For now, we are the only ones receiving these empty containers while other terminals are not functioning fully. That is why the place is congested. We don’t even have enough space inside the terminal because everywhere is filled with empty containers,” the official said.
The representative explained that empty containers cannot be returned directly to the ports because port authorities only accept specified volumes at a time, making bonded terminals necessary holding areas.
According to the official, the terminal receives between 150 and 200 empty containers daily and only accepts new deliveries after previously stored containers have been evacuated to the ports.
The official also maintained that many of the trucks contributing to the traffic are owned by independent transport operators rather than the terminal itself.
“If the trucks are properly lined up on one lane by the security agencies, there will be free movement. The problem is when they are parked indiscriminately on different parts of the road,” the official added.
The operator noted that the evacuation of containers from the terminal depends largely on daily allocations from the ports.
NPA promises collaborative solution
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) said it is working with relevant stakeholders and law enforcement agencies to tackle the recurring traffic congestion along the Mile 2-Apapa port corridor.
The assurance comes amid severe gridlock caused by tanker trucks and container-laden vehicles lining the Mile 2 axis and stretching towards Apapa, leaving commuters stranded for several hours.
Speaking on the development, NPA spokesman Ikechukwu Onyemechara said government agencies have put measures in place to ensure rapid intervention whenever traffic challenges arise on port access roads.
According to him, one of the key resolutions reached during a recent stakeholders’ meeting was the creation of a WhatsApp platform through which agencies can quickly report and respond to traffic incidents.
He explained that once congestion is reported, agencies such as LASTMA are immediately alerted to deploy personnel and keep sections of the road open for other motorists.
“Every effort the government is making is a collaborative operation. Everybody has to work together to ensure success,” Onyemechara said.
He also urged tanker operators to maintain order and avoid obstructing major roads, stressing that cooperation from all stakeholders is essential to achieving lasting solutions.
However, Onyemechara admitted that enforcing sanctions against erring tanker operators remains difficult because they often threaten to halt fuel distribution whenever disciplinary measures are proposed.
“Anytime the government wants to take action, they threaten to stop lifting fuel, and the government does not want a fuel crisis. They are taking advantage of that position,” he said.
He further disclosed that some tank farm operators have yet to fully adopt the electronic call-up system introduced to regulate truck movements into the ports.
According to Onyemechara, the Mile 2 corridor experiences heavier congestion because it serves both tank farm-bound tankers and container trucks heading to the ports, unlike the Apapa port access road, which is less affected by tanker traffic.
He added that the Managing Director of the NPA has assured stakeholders that the government remains committed to finding a permanent solution to the recurring traffic challenge.
NSC reacts
When contacted, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) said it was not immediately aware of the traffic situation along the Mile 2 corridor.
Responding to enquiries, the Council’s Deputy Director of Regulatory Services, Adaora Nwonu, said she had passed through the area earlier without experiencing any unusual congestion but promised to verify the reports.
“I passed there about an hour or two ago and it wasn’t bad, so there must be a reason,” she said.
Nwonu added that preliminary information suggested the queue consisted mainly of tanker trucks heading to tank farms rather than port-bound cargo trucks.
“If they are tankers, then they are most likely trying to access the tank farms. There must be a reason for the gridlock because normally it shouldn’t be like that.
“I’ll ask my people to check. They are already out on monitoring today, so I’ll find out whether they have covered the Tin Can and Apapa axis and what they observed,” she said.
