LAGOS — Commuters, residents and business owners were stranded for hours on Thursday as hundreds of articulated trucks took over the Mile 2–Wharf–Apapa corridor, bringing traffic to a standstill and disrupting commercial activities along the busy route.
The gridlock, which extended from the Berger/Kirikiri axis towards Apapa, forced many motorists to abandon their journeys, while others turned back after spending several hours in traffic.
Residents and road users blamed the worsening congestion on the growing number of container terminals operating along the Berger/Kirikiri corridor, alleging that trucks conveying empty containers to the facilities have effectively taken over the road.
They lamented that despite the persistent traffic chaos, relevant government agencies, including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigeria Customs Service, the Police, as well as traffic management agencies, have yet to implement lasting measures to address the situation.
According to them, the terminals have attracted a steady influx of articulated vehicles, making smooth movement along the corridor increasingly difficult.
A motorist, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the traffic challenge became more pronounced after the establishment of the container terminals opposite the Catholic Church along the Berger/Kirikiri road.
“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.
The road user explained that long queues of trucks waiting to access the terminals routinely occupy major sections of the expressway, creating bottlenecks that stretch for several kilometres.
He added that although officials of the Nigerian Navy, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and other security agencies are regularly deployed to manage traffic, the situation has remained largely unchanged because of the volume of trucks accessing the terminals.
Many of the affected residents expressed disappointment that the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Police, whose operations are closely linked to activities within the port corridor, have yet to take decisive action to tackle the recurring congestion, leaving motorists and businesses to bear the brunt of the crisis.
