The Lagos State Government has said that it is considering implementing logistics routes for trucks and articulated vehicles as specified in the State Transport Master plan.

This is due to the recurring truck accidents happening within the state, especially the most recent ones which resulted in the loss of lives and properties.

The revelation was made by the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, during a stakeholders’ engagement held on Thursday at the Adeyemi-Bero Auditorium, Alausa Ikeja.

Oladeinde noted that to curb incessant truck accidents within the State, there is a need to chart robust strategies that will checkmate frequent truck accidents in the State.

He stressed that a combination of different policies which include erecting truck barriers, compliance with minimum safety standards, and restricting the movement of articulated vehicles to designated routes will go a long way in curbing truck accidents in Lagos.

State moves to implement the use of designated routes for trucks

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Engr Abdullahi Toriola, in his explanation of the proposed logistic routes for trucks and articulated vehicles, noted that the State Government is considering implementing the use of designated routes for articulated vehicles as one of the strategies to checkmate the operations and activities of trucks plying the State roads.

Emphasizing that the safety and security of Lagosians remain paramount to the Present Administration, Toriola averred that the State Government does not want to take unilateral decisions, hence the need for the stakeholders’ engagement with relevant unions before taking necessary steps.

The Permanent Secretary disclosed 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.

The state government will no longer condone frequent truck accidents

Also speaking at the occasion, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa remarked the stakeholders’ meeting was very germane because of the precious 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 no longer condone unabated truck accidents resulting in the killing of innocent citizens.

He further stated that the collaboration of the State Government and Truck Unions operating in Lagos will go a long way to ensure the desired sanity on our roads is achieved with the full support of the Police and the State’s Law Enforcement Agencies.

Those that attended the meeting

The stakeholders that were present at the meeting include 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).

For the record

• Recall that on January 29, 2023, Nairametrics had reported that 9 people were confirmed to have been crushed to death after a 20 feet container-laden truck fell on a commercial bus in the Ojuelegba area of Lagos State.
• The Lagos State Government had about a week ago said that it has taken some measures to stop truck accidents which have been occurring quite frequently in the state with the accompanying casualty figures.