By Efe Onodjae
Officials of Dunamis Inland Terminal have distanced the facility from the recurring gridlock along Ago Palace Way, insisting that the congestion is largely caused by the poor condition of the road and seasonal rainfall rather than truck operations linked to the terminal.
The clarification comes on the heels of a recent Vanguard report highlighting the return of severe traffic congestion along the Ago Palace corridor, where residents, motorists and business owners lamented spending several hours on a journey that ordinarily takes minutes.
During a visit to the terminal, which has been identified by stakeholders as one of the major truck destinations in the area, an official of the company maintained that truck activities at the facility were not responsible for the traffic situation.
According to the official, traffic management on the corridor falls within the responsibility of the Lagos State Government, stressing that the road had remained in a deplorable condition for years.
“Our trucks are not the cause of the traffic along this road. The road has been bad for a long time.
Members of the community sometimes try to repair portions of it using substandard materials, and that is why the road keeps deteriorating.
“The traffic you see here is not new. There is usually heavy congestion during the rainy season because the road becomes more difficult to navigate,” the official said.
The position of the terminal operator, however, contrasts with concerns raised by stakeholders and residents who blame the growing presence of trucks on the corridor for the recurring gridlock.
In Vanguard’s earlier report, the General Secretary of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Sani Mohammed, attributed the congestion to inadequate coordination of truck movements servicing off-dock terminals along Ago Palace Way. He noted that a proposed truck call-up arrangement designed to regulate the number of trucks accessing such facilities failed to gain traction, leading to the build-up of vehicles on access roads.
Mohammed had also argued that terminal operators should provide effective traffic management systems, including dedicated traffic personnel and adequate holding bays, to prevent trucks from spilling onto public roads.
Meanwhile, our correspondent witness the presence of truck park along the road which is capable of causing accident at night.
