Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has refuted claims credited to his administration on decongesting the Apapa gridlock within 60 days.

He explained that what he said was that he promised he would carry out a review on previous activities on the road within 60 days.

He gave this explanation at the Presidential Villa in Abuja after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said: “Interestingly, some media houses are actually counting down on me. They said that I mentioned, during the campaign, that I was going to clear it (Oshodi-Apapa expressway) in 60 days. I have mentioned it before, what I said was that, in 60 days, we would review what was done but that does not take the fact that even if people give you dateline, it’s because they want you to do well and they want you to be accountable to those datelines”.

Proffering solution to the gridlock, the Governor hinted, “The real construction of the road has started, but it is not at the stage in which we can feel the full impact of it. The movement of the trucks has also started. There is a lily pond terminal that has been created with the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, and other terminal operators which I imagined have started doing what we call the call-up system.

“What I understand by the call up is that it is a system that needs to be a bit more electronically driven. I think it’s currently run manually now but if we can get a software that can enhance it and enforce it, the call-up system can become something that can hold the truck drivers accountable. If you’re not called on to come into the port, you are not meant to come”.

The Governor called on concerned stakeholders; truck drivers’ union, Nigeria’s Shippers Council, Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Nigerian Police to put effort together in proffering a permanent solution.