Fashola wants Apapa tank farm owners to act more responsibly

Following the massive traffic problem and the new security threat in the Apapa area, Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, Tuesday met with operators of Tank farms in the area and urged them to conduct their businesses with more consideration for others and to be vigilant.

Apapa which accommodates two of the nation’s busiest sea ports and several other businesses has been plagued by traffic gridlocks which take hours to navigate and cuase pain and losses to commuters and businesses.

The major cause are the

hundreds of fuel trailer-tankers which park in unauthorised areas, obstructing traffic, in a quest to lift petroleum products from the tank farms located in the area.

Also, last Thursday night, there was an explosion in one of the tank farms in the area, which led to loss of lives.

Fashola urged the tank farm owners to reflect on the negative impact of their operations on other businesses and the environment generally. “You must spare a thought for those who do other businesses in Apapa. They are complaining to me about how tankers have taken over their businesses. And the people I see here are some of the most sophisticated people that our country has produced. I think we can do better”, he said.

“I think we can do business with some compassion and with some consideration. You know the irony is that we need the fuel but we don’t want to lose our homes and our lives in the process of getting the fuel. I suggest, may be some of you constitute yourselves into a team, go out on Saturdays, go out on Sundays and see what your operations are doing to some people; perhaps you would be as concerned as we are”, he added.

Pointing out that property values are diminishing in the area as a result of the operation of tankers, the governor said, “But you know what is going to happen? The demand is going to transfer to the other side of town. So we are all going to pay for it. If I cannot live in Apapa again, the next thing I will do is ask, where else can I live?

“It is either I move to GRA Ikeja, or GRA, Ikoyi or Victoria Island. So we will only come and put pressure on the rent in those places; that is what is going to happen. The people in Apapa are not going to evaporate, they are going to put pressure on those other parts of the city where you and I will live”, he said adding that the result would be increase in rent in those places.

“We can’t lose one side of the city simply because we are producing or distributing fuel inefficiently; we can’t”, the governor said, adding that he has also spoken to tanker drivers over the issue, especially the issue of hauling of fuel and the damage it does to the roads.

Noting that the Federal Government may not be expected to do anything about the problem, Fashola said, “The question we will ask ourselves is how sustainable is hauling of fuel going to be? It is diminishing the lifespan of our roads and we are continuing and we are heading to a point where we will no longer be able to travel by road if we don’t change quickly now”.

Noting that the operators were there because of local content, Fashola said, “Now the local oil companies have outstripped the Texacos, the Mobils and the Totals. But when they started this business about 50 years ago, they transported by rail. We forced them into the roads; but now this generation can do the right thing and go back to the rails”.

On the issue of security, the governor urged them to be more vigilant around their operational bases, while also promptly reporting vehicles that cannot be accounted for in their areas of operation to the police and other security agencies.

In a mind-rubbing session with fuel tank operators at the Lagos House, Alausa, Fashola urged them to ensure that no vehicle that could not be accounted for was allowed to park on their premises or make use of their facilities, so as not to compromise the security of the state.

He told them, “You must put your foot down about vehicles parking around your premises. We have tried but many of you have insisted; we have been called anti-poor and anti-business, but it is only those who are alive that will do business.

“So around your tank farms, around your offices and around your storage facilities, there should be no vehicles that are parked there that could not be accounted for. Once there is such a vehicle that you cannot account for, let us know, call the Commissioner of Police or the Director of SSS, this is the way to win this war; it is not going to happen by wishes or getting sensational or hysterical”, the governor said.

BusinessDay