How effect of Okada ban dawned on Apapa, Tin-Can port workers

The Lagos State government, on June 1, 2022, began a massive clampdown on commercial motorcyclists popularly called ‘okada riders,’ in the state, seizing many motorcycles and arresting many riders and passengers, thereby forcing others to leave the roads out of fear of being arrested. TOLA ADENUBI visited the seaport towns of Apapa and Tin-Can to feel the pulse of seaport workers. His report.

Apapa port sits in the heart of Apapa and is fed by two major roads, the Wharf Road and the Creek road. For Tin-Can Island port, the only road leading to the port is the Apapa-Oshodi express road. Both ports have witnessed massive surge in container throughput since the ports were concessioned in 2006, making them unarguably Nigeria’s two busiest ports.

However, the surge in container throughput over the years have had telling effects on the state of the roads that connect these ports, leading to most of the roads collapsing, save for the intervention of a Dangote Group-led consortium that has rebuilt Wharf Road and also rebuilding the Apapa-Oshodi express road.

While the roads are being rebuilt, the activities of articulated vehicles have ensured that accessing both ports have become tedious for motorists coming from the Mile 2 end of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway. This scenario gave prominence to the increase in the number of commercial motorcycles operating within the Apapa and Tin-Can axis.

Okada ban implication at seaports

For port workers, the ban on commercial motorcyclists in Apapa and Tin-Can has come with a price. Many now walk long distances before getting to their workplaces while others have brought out their bicycles to help ease the stress of walking long distances.

Speaking to Nigerian Tribune, a worker inside Port & Cargo Handling Services (P&CHS) located inside the Tin-Can Island Port, Mr Bashiru Akindele, explained that since the ban on okada riders began on June 1, he has been trekking to the Tin-Can Island Port from Coconut and sometimes from Kirikiri.

According to Mr Akindele, “You know that the Apapa-Oshodi express road is being repaired. There is an ongoing road repair along that route. Again, the section of the road that is good has been taken over by articulated vehicles who cause serious traffic for vehicular movement. So driving to the office from Kirikiri where I live is out of it.

“Sometimes, when I enter a bus from Kirikiri, if I am lucky, the bus will get to just before the bridge between Coconut and Tin-Can before it gets stuck in traffic induced by the presence of articulated vehicles along that road. At that point, everybody comes down from the vehicle and starts trekking. If it is a busy day like Mondays, the bus will hit a traffic brick-wall even before Coconut, and trekking will start from that point to Tin-Can Island port.

“It is not a case of I have a vehicle because you cannot carry your car on your head. A vehicle needs a road to pass through, but the roads at Tin-Can port axis have been blocked by articulated vehicles either trying to enter the port or leave the port.

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“Before the okada ban, the easiest and available option was to just pick a bike from Kirikiri to Tin-Can port. It was due to the issues of the articulated vehicles on the road plus the ongoing road repair that brought about thousands of commercial motorcyclists along that Mile 2 to Tin-Can port stretch of the Apapa-Oshodi express road. They (okada riders) were a necessity because without them, you would probably be stuck on one spot for hours and end up getting to work very late.”

Also sharing their experiences since the okada ban began, the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Apapa Port Command explained that since the ban on commercial motorcycles, the impact has been felt in the man hours spent by their officials in getting to work.

Speaking with Nigerian Tribune, spokesman of the Apapa Command of the NIS, Augustus Maisor, explained that sometimes, when vessels berth and are due for inspection, officers struggle to arrive in time for such official engagements.

“The okada ban has really affected us individually but not our operations. Given the nature of Apapa and its traffic issues, coming to work early by our officers has always been down to them plying commercial motorcycles. Even if they drive, you know the peculiar nature of Apapa traffic. You can be stuck in a spot for an hour in your car due to the activities of these articulated vehicles.

“So, to beat these challenges, our officers relied on okada riders for years to come to work early. However, since its ban, we have had instances where officers sometimes arrive late for vessel inspection. Some have had to trek long distances to come to work when the roads get blocked. It has affected us in that aspect and we hope that going forward, the issue of free flow of traffic in Apapa will become more consistent to allow people to come and leave their work places inside the port without missing the okada riders.”

Other options

For Kelechi Amadi, resorting to riding his bicycle has really gone a long way in ameliorating the effect of the okada ban. In his words, “I have a bicycle which I kept at home and occasionally ride it during my leisure period at home. I nearly gave it out to a cousin of mine because I was not always using it. But since the okada ban began some days ago, it has been my saving grace as I have had to ride it to and from my house in Surulere to the port and back home every day.

“Before the okada ban, with N500, I would take a commercial motorcycle from Surulere to Apapa in less than 30 minutes. Nowadays, because I don’t want to trek from maybe Barracks bus stop or Airways bus stop to Apapa or Liverpool if the roads are blocked, I prefer riding my bicycle as it saves me cost of using commercial buses and also saves me stress of walking down to Liverpool or Tin-Can Island port.”

Way forward

For port workers to stop suffering the impact of the okada ban in Apapa and its environs, the ongoing road repair of the Apapa-Oshodi expressway has to be fully completed and the trucks taken off the roads to allow for free flow of vehicular movement in and out of Tin-Can Island port.

In the words of an official of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) who begged not to have his name in print, “Until that road, the Apapa-Oshodi expressway, is completed and the articulated vehicles taken off it, port workers will continue to trek to their respective workplaces in Tin-Can Island Port.

“Yes, the Lagos State government has introduced more buses to ease transport stress, but those buses cannot come to Tin-Can side of Lagos because the road is being repaired. A particular section of the road is blocked for repair, while the only section which has not even been completed is home to so many articulated vehicles trying to enter the port.

“If these articulated vehicles cannot find other ways to come to the port, then there won’t be any road for any buses introduced by the state government to ply. That is why when buses taking passengers get to Coconut and the road is blocked by these articulated vehicles, all passengers are asked to come down and the trekking begins.”