The Minister of works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has ordered trucks and trailers parking on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to vacate with immediate effect, saying parking on the highway violates the Federal Highway Act.
Speaking at the weekend at the Stakeholders Town Hall Meeting held at the Ogere end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Fashola lamented that pouring of used petroleum products, engine oil on the road was capable of destroying the roads.
The minister therefore ordered the officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to enforce traffic compliance on the federal highways, saying the activities of the trucks and trailers drivers is contributing to the delay in the completion of work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
He said “the point is that trucking and trailer operation is business if you want to run fleets, then you must plan parking. if the government helps you, the government does so out of compassion but you cannot run your business at the expense of the convenience and the livelihood of millions of people.
“So, money that has been hard to find and the road that has been difficult to build, you have already started pouring diesel on it, that is the beginning of the destruction of the road and my appeal to you today is to immediately leave the road from today, immediately”, the Minister said.
Speaking further, Fashola said “Parking on the highway is a violation of the Federal Highway Act which you (FRSC) have a duty to enforce, so, work with the stakeholders, truck owners, Kabiyesis (monarchs) and State Government, let us find an immediate way to resolve this problem so that contractors can complete their job and respond to those that say it’s (Lagos-Ibadan expressway project) taking too much time.
“This is part of the delay and it’s not just to build the road but also to ensure that the road is properly used and not abused.
“Pouring diesel on the road, changing oil (engine oil) on the road is an abuse of the road. It must stop in the interest of the truckers themselves because without roads, you have no business. Let’s just understand.”
