Sanwo-Olu And Agbaje Clashes At Lagos Gubernatorial Debate Over Apapa Gridlock

The Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidates, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his main opposition from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jimi Agbaje, clashed on how to tackle the Apapa gridlock immediately they assumed office during the states Guber debate.

According to Vanguard, the candidates spoke at Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, LCCI interactive session with the private sector and the stakeholders with the theme: Private sector Agenda for Lagos, Post-2019 election.

The debate, which was held in Ikeja, was moderated by a publisher of Business Day Newspapers, Mr. Frank Aigbogun, with Mr. Adewale Adegbite, Mr. Niyi Yusuf and Mrs. Fayo Williams as members of the panel.

The debate started peacefully with both candidates reeling out their curriculum vitae and their vision for the state, but midway degenerated into attacks from both candidates, an act which forced Aigbogun to often caution them not to attack themselves but proffer solutions on Lagos challenges.

On Apapa gridlock, they stressed that strict measures must be adopted to end the perennial gridlocks that had crippled business opportunities within Apapa ports, stressing that the challenge would be tackled head-on when they assumed office as governor. However, both candidates could not reach agreement on the specific date they would solve the perennial gridlock within Apapa Central Business District, CBD.

Speaking on the perennial traffic gridlock on Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, Sanwo-Olu emphasized that his administration would solve the gridlock within the first 60 days of his administration because he had done the needed study on it.

While reeling out five things that would be done by his administration within the first two months, the APC candidate argued that the axis was important to his government and would restore its glory. He said:

“Apapa is a nightmare and there are some individuals that we need to have strong conversation with. Those trucks were somewhere before now. So we will go there and ensure they return to  where they were. I don’t know the commercial entity that has caused the trailers to leave for the roads. We will reach out to Nigerian Port Authority, NPA so that they can return to the ports.*

“We will embark on a pooling system. And Ogun state will be useful in this. We will ask that the trailers should park outside the state and will only be allowed to come into Lagos when they have been.”