Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday gave a hint of how his administration is working to put an end to the intractable Apapa gridlock, the congestion along Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, port access roads and Apapa environs.
He explained that the completion of the Lekki Port will in no small measure take away the heavy traffic on the Apapa axis.
Mr. Sanwo-Olu spoke at the Opening ceremony of the Africa Business Convention in Lagos, where he noted that “The final solution to Apapa gridlock will be the completion of Lekki Port.”
He said several measures would be put in place to ensure Apapa is congestion-free, saying that “we need to change the officials regularly to ensure there is no compromise in services rendered.”
He said: “Lagos is, in addition to being Africa’s most populous megacity, the continent’s premier business and investment destination, and we will continue to do all within our power to remain so.
“As I speak, several landmark public and private infrastructure and investment projects are underway or nearing completion in Lagos State; the biggest single-train Petroleum Refinery in the world, one of the largest Rice Mills in the world, one of the largest and most modern Deep-Sea Ports on the continent, and West Africa’s biggest Light Rail network. Within the next 24 months, we expect all of these to be operational.
“We are also Africa’s Startup capital, ahead of Nairobi, Cape Town and Johannesburg, in terms of the number of startups and in terms of investment inflows and the size of exits. Flutterwave and Paystack, two of the most prominent African unicorns of the decade, were born here.
Speaking at the event, the Publisher of Business Day Newspaper, Mr. Frank Aigbogun, applauded Governor Sanwo-Olu for the great work he has done in ridding Apapa of traffic gridlocks and for delivering on his promise to the people of Lagos State.
He said: “When we had the interview, which I moderated, hosted by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry before the elections in 2019, Apapa dominated that conversation. I don’t know how often you go to Apapa Mr. Governor but I think between 23 and 27 minutes these days, you get Apapa.”
