The Customs Area Controller, Kirikiri Lighter Terminal, Comptroller Benjamin Aber, on Wednesday decried the menace of petroleum tanker drivers creating gridlock along Mile 2 and Coconut Expressway leading to Lagos ports.

Aber, who made the disclosure in Lagos during a joint news conference between customs and stakeholders, said the action of the tanker drivers had become a big threat to safety of the environment.

The controller called for collaboration between the service and the stakeholders to create a conducive business environment along Mile 2/Coconut Bus stop.

He said that it was time to collaborate and create conducive atmosphere and remove miscreants off the Mile 2/Coconut area and allow people to do business freely.

Aber said that if the tankers being parked on the roads were removed and relocated, the environment would attract more business and Customs would be able to generate revenue.

“Our meeting with the tank farm owners shows that they are supposed to be discharging to almost 20 different clients daily but hardly did they succeed in two to three operations in a day.

“The tanker drivers are also abusing Nigerian bridge by parking on the bridge. It is time we let them know that what they are doing is wrong.”

He said that the bridge was created for moving vehicles and not static ones, adding that with the collaboration of the enforcement agencies, government would succeed in sending miscreants off environment.

Aber said that the illegal operation by tanker drivers should be stopped for the desired trading to take place.

“I had trekked more than 100 times from Coconut bus stop to my office because of the blockage of the environment due to indiscriminate parking by the tanker drivers.”

Aber said that the Comptroller-General of Customs, Retired Col. Hameed Ali's mandate was to sanitise the service, adding that the comptroller-general gave him the support to build a befitting working environment in the command.

The controller said that he had informed the management of Brawal Terminal to upgrade the status of their terminal to enable it achieve what it was initially designated to do.

Aber said that Brawal was concessioned to be a lighter terminal, adding that the management of the terminal had engaged in serious dredging exercise since March.

Aber had, on March 23, given two- weeks ultimatum to tanker drivers to quit the environment.

He said that there was need to create a corridor along the tank farm and jetty operational area to free the exit and entrance of the environment of the terminal.

“It is part of Customs’ mandate to ensure the security of its environment and not only to generate revenue.

“If the environment is not accessible, investors will not import into the country and there is no way we can generate revenue for government because it takes more than five hours for anybody to come in and do business.

“The activities of the petroleum truck drivers have encouraged miscreants around the area. The environment has harboured many indiscriminate businesses, where you would see food vendors cooking with naked fire.

“All these acts can lead to a big explosion in the environment which could claim lives including my life, if we do not find a quick solution to the constant gridlock along the Kirikiri area.”

He said that he had engaged the support of the 9 Brigade of the Nigerian Army to train officers of the command, who would collaborate with the other regulatory agencies to ensure a safe environment.

The controller said that he would also seek the assistance of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to tow the lay-about tankers to their yards, while the appropriate authorities would prosecute the offenders.

“Free movement of cars and tankers can only be done in an organised manner with the support of all the security officers but the problem will still persist.

“The tankers usually like to come into the jetty area at the same time when they are not permitted to come in.

“Officers of the command have brought a feasibility report which shows that majority of the tankers drivers usually parked on the roads, while looking for customers.”

Aber said that the comptroller-general had given him the necessary support to enable the service achieve its mandate in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s Change Agenda.

He said that there were so many dredging activities going on at Brawal Terminal which would encourage small vessels to berth and could also bring a lot of revenue for government.

The General Manager, Ibru Jetty, Mr Victor Enebeli, said there should be no room for continuous sensitisation of the petroleum truck drivers because they had refused to comply.

Enebeli said that it was time to have law enforcement agencies who would be in operation for 24 hours.

He said that during the day, the truck drivers would maintain a single lane but at 5 p.m., they would block the whole environment.

“I controlled the traffic yesterday despite the fact that we had redeployed some taskforce to control the traffic.

“Everybody had complained about this constant traffic along the Kirikiri area. Until we decide to change the situation, nothing can be good about the environment.

“Let us all do our job. It is implementation and enforcement that we need.

“Every jetty and tank farm operator has processes of truck call-up system which can reduce unwanted trucks in the environment,” NAN further quotes Enebeli as saying.

Mr Gbenga Olawuyi, who represented the Zonal Coordinator, Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ Association, Alhaji Razak Akanbi, said that the association was presently working on a way out.

“We just arrived from the Eastern part of the country and we had redeployed some members to secure parking spaces where we will be directing the tanker drivers to park.

“We will receive the committee’s report by tomorrow. We have been working during the day time to clear the road of traffic.

“As I am taking to you, our men are on ground clearing the roads with the support of the security agencies.”

He said that few of the drivers had the permit ticket, adding that it would be difficult to engage the services of those drivers without permit tickets.

A Senior Manager of NPA, Mrs Victoria Medupin, urged the petroleum tanker drivers to obtain permit tickets for their members to weed out those tanker drivers who were not registered.

Medupin said that there was need to protect the environment from constant gridlock, adding that the health implication of a dirty environment could be harmful to the people operating in the environment. (NAN)

•Photo shows tanker-induced traffic snarl along Mile 2 Expressway, Lagos.

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