Following the recurring truck accidents happening within the State, especially the most recent ones which resulted in loss of lives and property, the Lagos State Government is contemplating on implementing logistic routes for trucks and articulated vehicles as specified in the State Transport Master plan.
Commissioner for Transportation Dr. Frederic Oladeinde at a Stakeholders’ engagement meeting held on Thursday at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa Ikeja, noted that in order to curb incessant truck accidents within the State, the Stakeholders’ are gathered periodically to chart robust strategies that will further checkmate unceasing truck accidents in the State, saying safety and security of Lagosians remains paramount to the State Government.
He stressed that a combination of different policies which include erecting truck barriers, compliance with minimum safety standards as well as restricting movement of articulated vehicles to designated routes will go a long way in curbing persistent truck accidents in the State.
Explaining the proposed logistic routes for trucks and articulated vehicles, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation Engr. Abdulhafiz Toriola noted that the State Government is considering implementing use of designated routes for articulated vehicles as one of the strategies to checkmate the operations and activities of trucks plying the State roads, saying that the Government does not want to take unilateral decisions hence, it called for the Stakeholders’ engagement meeting to dialogue with relevant unions before taking necessary steps.
The Permanent Secretary also mentioned that the ministry is reviewing the Minimum Safety Standard Procedure for trucks and articulated vehicles being implemented by the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) with a view to modifying it, by including the Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) and Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Officials in the inspection process.
Toriola also expressed the State Government’s willingness to collaborate with relevant truck operators to ensure that drivers manning the steering of trucks are well trained and only qualified drivers are allowed to drive the trucks/articulated vehicles within the State.
Earlier, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation in his remarks said the Stakeholders’ meeting was very germane because of lives that are being lost daily due to negligence on the part of drivers and truck owners, saying as a responsive and proactive government, it will not condone unabated truck accidents resulting in the killing of innocent citizens.
He further stated that the collaboration of the State Government and that of Truck Unions operating in Lagos will go a long way at ensuring the most desired sanity on our roads is achieved with the full supports of the Police and the State’s Law Enforcement Agencies.
The Representative of Council of Maritime Transport Union and Association, (COMTUA) Mr. Adeyinka Aroyewun Called for genuineness and clarity of purpose by both parties which according to him will help in achieving the desired results’
Also, Chief Remi Ogungbemi of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) urged the State Government to checkmate the activities of the area boys who have constituted themselves as threat to the lives of their members.
Present at the meeting were representatives from the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Depot and Petroleum Product Marketers Association ( DAPPMAN), Council Of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations ( COMTUA), Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Amalgamation of Truck Owners Association of Nigeria (ACTOAN), representatives of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) as well as Vehicle Inspection Services (VIS).
All Stakeholders’ agreed to work with the State Government to ameliorate the menace of trucks and articulated vehicles in the State
