To successfully implement an electronic, e-Call up system in the Lekki Deep Port and Lekki-Epe corridor of the state, the Lagos State Government has requested the assistance and involvement of all stakeholders.
The e-call up system was previously approved by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for efficient traffic control along the Lekki-Epe corridor. At a meeting with stakeholders held in Victoria Island, Lagos, the State Government requested their cooperation.
Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, the commissioner for transportation, stated during the meeting that for the e-call up process to run smoothly, “there is a need to think creatively with all relevant stakeholders’ carrying out business activities within the Lekki-Epe axis, especially with the development of Lekki Deep Sea Port, forthcoming Dangote refineries, among other industries.”
For the successful implementation of the Call-up approach, Oladeinde emphasized the necessity to comprehend each business operator’s dynamics. He also mentioned that the trial phase is scheduled to begin in June of this year and last for two weeks.
“The essence of the trial tactics is to test the durability of the call-up implementation, and to ensure it is free from all encumbrances,” the commissioner stated. “Thereafter, live operations will commence by mid-June.”
In addition, Sola Giwa, the Special Advisor to the Governor on Transportation, noted that the Lekki-Epe corridor is seeing an increase in the establishment of new industries, necessitating the introduction of an electronic system to control traffic within the axis. Lagos State has the highest vehicle density in the country.
In order to limit cargo movement over the road, Sola continued, “the state government is considering the implementation of barge operations for Lekki Deep Seaport.” She also requested the cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure a smooth implementation of the plan.
According to Engr. Abiola Olowu, Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce and Industry, “The government of Governor Sanwo-Olu is dedicated to creating a conducive environment across the state for businesses to thrive with special focus on the Lekki-Epe corridor due to industries rising up in the axis.”
Additionally, he said that everyone involved must work together to expedite the e-call up system’s implementation.
The application for the e-call up system couldn’t have come at a better time, according to Engr. Abdulhafiz Toriola, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, who noted that “Lekki- Epe axis is fast becoming a commercial area and it behooves on the government to plan ahead to forestall traffic menace in the region.”
Toriola praised the state administration for being proactive in managing the corridor’s traffic while without sacrificing public safety and security and strengthening the economic climate.
Sesan Abdullahi, the chairman of the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, expressed his happiness at the governor’s approval of the e-call up system and emphasized the importance of putting in place a suitable mechanism to control the entry and exit of trucks given the large number of trucks travelling through the corridor.
Abdullahi advised the participants to strengthen their ties to the community by recalling an instance in which truck accidents occurred and truck owners neglected to visit the families of the victims.
Messrs. Call Up Technology Services gave a presentation on how the e-call up system would be implemented, and the company was instructed to solicit the necessary input from the relevant stakeholders.
The Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Dangote Refineries, Lekki Free Zone, Lekki Worldwide Investment Company, Lekki Deep Sea Port, top government officials from the Ministries of Transportation and Commerce and Industry, Ibeju-Lekki and Epe Local Governments, and Pinnacle Oil and Gas are just a few of the stakeholders present at the meeting.
