The Apapa – Wharf Road, especially when approached from the Mile Two end, is an eyesore. In the rains, it is an environmental disaster. The good news, however, is that help is on the way. On Saturday, the Federal Government, through its Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, entered into a N4.3bn agreement with private concerns led by the Dangote Group, Flour Mills of Nigeria and the Nigerian Ports Authority, to fix the road in twelve months.

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This development is a welcome relief to the businesses located on the axis and the millions of citizens who bear the brunt of the badly dilapidated road daily. Anyone who has had the misfortune of traversing that road lately cannot but feel sorry for its users.
The Apapa – Wharf Road hosts the nation’s major seaport and other critical oil and maritime infrastructure. Put simply, it is the hub of the economy. How and why then, did successive administrations allow the very important road to go bad and now virtually washed-off? The road from Mile Two to, especially, Coconut, through Sunrise and Westminster, is one running splash of filth, blackish waters and craters. Because of the nature of business on the road, the entire stretch is taken over by oil tankers, trailers and all kinds articulated vehicles. The journey to the ports by road, therefore, is one of the most uncomfortable anyone can think of. In fact, at some point in the journey, one must alight from his vehicle and continue on a motorcycle, popularly known as okada.
It is an inescapable situation, as the danger of an okada ride in Lagos, especially with the influx of elements from neighbouring countries, is well known to the average patron. The extremely deplorable state of the road makes the danger even worse.
Little, wonder then, that the trade unions whose operations are mostly domiciled in the Apapa – Wharf axis recently embarked on a warning strike to protest the bad state of the road. They complained, among other things, of their members dying everyday, trying to manouvre their way through the road.
The present state of the road is a sad reflection of government’s poor prioritisation of projects. It is no different from the situation in the oil-bearing communities of the Niger Delta. The environments are devastated as a result of exploration activities and the people neglected and left to bear the telling effects. Instead of revamping the environment to secure their livelihood, the host communities are vilified and turned to antagonists, resulting in disruptions to the local and national economies, with several attempts to play catch-up today.
Because of the neglect and vandalism of most of the country’s oil infrastructure, the Apapa –Wharf axis has become the host of many tank farms, from which over 90 per cent of the country’s petroleum products are distributed to all parts of the country. The rapid depreciation of the road is partly as result of the fact that it is overburdened by heavy duty vehicles used for the distribution of petroleum products. One would have expected that a government that is aware of the importance of this road to the economy would pay very close attention to it. Instead, the road was allowed to fall to its present state of complete disrepair and disuse.
And, as has become common, it is only now, after the hue and cry, that government has found it worthwhile to move in with its corrective measures to fix the road. To be fair, it is difficult to blame the present administration for the state of this road, knowing too well how government machinery works. Where, for instance, were the previous successive administrations looking when the road went into disrepair?
Now, that the federal government has taken the right step by moving to fix the road, we advise that no effort should be spared to ensure that it is properly rehabilitated and delivered on schedule. For the period of twelve months earmarked for the repair of the road, commuting on it would be even more hectic and extremely difficult. Government should ensure that all adjoining roads are put in motorable condition to ease the flow of traffic while the repairs last.