Thousands of commuters and motorists were stranded for several hours on Thursday after severe traffic congestion brought movement to a standstill along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, one of Nigeria’s busiest port access roads.
The gridlock, which affected the Mile 2, Tin Can, Coconut and Berger Yard corridors, was caused by long queues of fuel tankers and container trucks, with stakeholders blaming poor coordination, indiscriminate parking and weak traffic management for the recurring crisis.
Many commuters said journeys that normally take less than an hour stretched into several hours, while transport operators and businesses reported heavy financial losses.
According to eyewitnesses, the congestion began around the Coconut axis, where hundreds of empty fuel tankers gathered outside major tank farms, including Shema, Integrated and Sahara, waiting to load petroleum products.
The situation reportedly worsened after tankers blocked entrances and exits to the depots, preventing loaded vehicles from leaving and causing traffic to spill onto the expressway.
Industry stakeholders attributed the increased tanker traffic to recent declines in global crude oil prices, which encouraged more depots to replenish their fuel stocks, attracting a large number of tanker drivers to the area.
Members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) unit of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) attempted to clear the roads, but many of the displaced tankers reportedly relocated to other sections of the highway, further worsening the congestion.
Truck drivers, tanker operators, customs agents and transport unions offered differing explanations for the traffic crisis.
Some tanker drivers blamed poor traffic coordination by government agencies, while customs agents accused the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) of failing to effectively manage port access roads.
The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) also faulted petroleum tanker operators for abandoning the designated single-lane system, saying the resulting congestion had disrupted port operations, increased transportation costs and affected businesses operating around the ports.
Meanwhile, the operators of the electronic truck call-up platform, Traffic Transit Point (TTP), maintained that petroleum tankers are not currently integrated into the electronic scheduling system and therefore should not be blamed on the platform.
Residents and transport operators also identified the commencement of operations at a new terminal in Kirikiri, poor road infrastructure and inadequate traffic enforcement as major factors contributing to the persistent congestion.
Security personnel, including police officers, military personnel and officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), were deployed to manage traffic, but motorists remained trapped for several hours before movement gradually improved later in the evening.
LASTMA said additional officers were sent to the affected areas and warned tank farm operators against allowing trucks to obstruct public roads.
The agency said preliminary investigations linked the congestion to the heavy influx of tankers at petroleum depots and assured road users that measures were being taken to restore normal traffic flow.
The Lagos State Government also attributed the recurring traffic crisis to longstanding operational challenges around the port corridor, including poor regulation of truck movements and corruption.
Stakeholders have renewed calls for stronger collaboration among the Nigerian Ports Authority, Lagos State Government, security agencies, transport unions, terminal operators and tank farm owners, warning that without better coordination and stricter enforcement, gridlock along the Apapa port corridor will continue to disrupt businesses, port operations and the movement of people.
