Nigerian manufacturers have come out to lay complaints about how trailers and poor road networks are threatening their businesses and accruing losses for them annually.
Speaking with journalist at a press briefing regarding the traffic situation, Frank Onyebu, chairman, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) Apapa branch, said manufacturers in Amuwo-Odofin and Kirikiri areas of Lagos State were suffering a great deal in the hands of bad roads and trailer drivers.
He complained that the roads within the industrial estate got dilapidated over the years due to continuous neglect by the government, and presently were at the verge of not being motorable anymore.
According to Onyebu, the problem has also been compounded by the activities of trailer drivers who after being moved from the Apapa-Oshodi axis have found solace in Amuwo-Odofin and Kirikiri, and have settled there.
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“We don’t have access to the offices as the trailers have taken over the road completely. The roads are very bad and vehicles have not been encouraged to come here. Companies situated here lose over N20 billion annually, and most of the factories are on the brink of shutting down because we produce but do not sell as customers avoid coming to this area,” he said.
He said since the trailers were moved from the Oshodi-Apapa axis, they moved to Amuwo-Odofin, dumping containers indiscriminately and gradually converting the area to a site for trailers and mechanics.
These things are gradually eroding the activities of manufacturers, as it has chased clients and prospective investors away, while some manufacturers are forced to relocate and others are making plans to shut down their industries, he said.
The activities of the truck drivers have heightened insecurity in the area as it has attracted miscreants to the area, giving them places to hide and carry out heinous activities, he said, adding that in cases of fire outbreak or accidents, it is difficult for an ambulance or a fire truck to reach the factories, a huge risk as it is an industrial area where many activities take place.
He said, “If the situation is not properly handled, it will generate into more problems like unemployment, high rate of criminal activities, and economic drawback.”
Speaking on alternative routes, he said other options were not viable, either because the road network was bad or the trailers had taken over the alternate routes.
While factory owners have tried to employ temporary relief to the situations, it has not been sustainable because the traffic condition gets worse by the day as the trucks pour in daily. Although efforts have been made to reach out to the government to address the issues, the local government tried their best but have not been able to curtail it, he said.
He however urged the Federal Government to address the traffic situations and deploy the right authorities to Amuwo-Odofin mange the traffic situation and also carry out immediate remedial steps on the roads.
He said if the road could be fixed, and activities were restored, the idea of a toll gate would be welcomed so long the roads are traffic free and pliable.
