General
Apapa Gridlock: Ambode Bars Trucks From Entering Lagos
**Orders RRS, LASTMA, LASEMA to enforce directive at state borders
By Dipo Olowookere
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has approved the restriction of trucks entering the metropolis as a way of dealing with the incessant traffic logjams experienced at the Apapa axis of the state.
At a press conference jointly addressed on Friday by officials of the state as well as members of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre in Alausa, the state government specifically said owners and operators of articulated vehicles/trailers and petroleum tankers should stay away from Lagos for now.
It regretted that the incessant traffic bottleneck had impacted negatively on the commercial activities of the citizenry, adding that the directive would be enforced to eliminate the current hardship being faced by motorists.
Addressing the briefing, Acting Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Olanrewaju Elegushi, said investigations revealed that the traffic lockdown was a direct result of the challenges being faced by operators of the ports’ which had made it impossible for them to load the articulated vehicles/trailers that has come from the hinterland to evacuate imported items from the ports.
He said the gridlock was worsened by the current rehabilitation of some major roads and other minor roads which necessitated the closure of some roads in Apapa, noting that the situation had led to the traffic bottleneck and backflow of the articulated vehicles to as far as Ojuelegba on the Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere.
Explaining the reason for the directive, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Steve Ayorinde, said the Apapa gridlock had also become a reoccurring problem due to constant breakdown of operations at the Ports.
“Clearly, it is the breakdown of operations at the Port that is the monster causing this reoccurring issue. We keep having this issue of gridlock in Apapa because issues that the Ports Authorities and the concessionaires are dealing with are recurrent and the spill over effect of those issues are causing all these.
“If the Ports can’t determine how many trucks they are able to deal with on a daily basis; how they are informed about coming in and going out, then it will be a problem to deal with.
“What we need to do is to keep on engaging with them, we keep on engaging with other states and so on. I mean people who have trucks in other states and already know that there is a logjam in Lagos, why send other trucks to Lagos? While clearing the mess that the Lagos State Government did not cause, can people not consider it logical to wait for few days for us to clear this and this is the reason why we are saying that trucks should stay away from Lagos in the interim.
“The idea is not to say don’t come into Lagos. It is part of what makes the economy of Lagos what it is but we are saying let us deal with the logjam that we have presently and there is no way we can deal with it, we can only deal with the effect because the causes essentially have to do with the operations at the Ports and that is why we are appealing to them,” Mr Ayorinde explained.
He also said that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) had been unable to load product from its Mosimi Depot in Ogun State due to vandalisation, noting that tankers hoping to get fuel across to the South West States are stranded in Lagos.
In the interim, the government, however, urged the operators to utilise the Ogere Trailer Park and other parks outside the state to avoid further hardship for motorists on the road, assuring that all measures would be deployed to ensure quick resolution of the situation.
On his part, General Manager of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA0, Mr Adesina Tiamiyu, said the state government has already instructed the agency alongside Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Nigeria Police and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to enforce the order restricting trucks from entering Lagos for now, noting that the enforcement will subsist pending when the spill over of traffic is cleared.
He urged residents not to hesitate to immediately alert State authorities through the 112 and 767 toll free lines in the eventuality of any danger lurking.
Also speaking, President of AMATO, Mr Remi Ogungbemi said the present situation was worrisome as it is a time bomb waiting to explode if unchecked.
He urged the Federal Government to take a cue from the Lagos State government and collaborate to resolve the crisis as soon as possible.
While pledging the readiness of members of his association to support efforts geared to restore sanity, Mr Ogungbemi also called for a regulatory system in place to manage call-up of trucks through technology.
Recall that this week, the Lagos State House of Assembly appealed to the NNPC to relocate tank farms in Apapa to other less populated areas so as to ease hectic traffic situation in the area.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies (DisCos) generated N196.13 billion in revenue in March 2026, despite billing customers a total of N246.43 billion during the month, according to the latest commercial performance report released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The figure represents a slight decline from the N196.68 billion collected in February, highlighting persistent challenges in revenue recovery across the power distribution segment, even as energy supplied to the grid continued to improve.
NERC’s March 2026 fact sheet showed that electricity billing rose by 1.71 per cent from N242.29 billion recorded in February, reflecting increased energy deliveries and customer charges. However, collection efficiency declined to 79.59 per cent from 81.17 per cent in the previous month, indicating that a significant portion of billed revenue remained uncollected.
The regulator disclosed that DisCos received 293.76 million kilowatt-hours of electricity during the review period, representing a 6.02 per cent increase compared to February. The development suggests a modest improvement in power availability across the distribution network.
Despite the increase in energy supplied, revenue recovery remains uneven across the industry. NERC reported that the average approved tariff for March stood at N124.30 per kilowatt-hour, while actual collections averaged ₦100.75 per kilowatt-hour, resulting in an overall revenue recovery efficiency of 81.05 per cent.
Among the eleven DisCos, Ikeja Electric emerged as the strongest performer, posting a revenue recovery efficiency of 99.30 per cent. Eko Electricity Distribution Company followed with 95.73 per cent, while Benin DisCo recorded 85.18 per cent.
At the lower end of the performance table, Kaduna Electric recorded the weakest recovery rate at 35.65 per cent. Jos DisCo and Yola DisCo also struggled, achieving recovery efficiencies of 53.53 per cent and 58.58 per cent, respectively.
Ikeja Electric also led in collection efficiency with 96.38 per cent, ahead of Benin DisCo at 90.97 per cent and Eko DisCo at 87.68 per cent. Kaduna, Jos and Yola remained the poorest performers in this category, underlining the persistent commercial and operational challenges facing power distributors in parts of northern Nigeria.
In terms of billing efficiency, Eko DisCo ranked first with 92.30 per cent, followed by Port Harcourt DisCo at 90.36 per cent and Ikeja Electric at 87.76 per cent. Yola DisCo recorded the lowest billing efficiency at 58.68 per cent.
The latest figures underscore the mixed realities within Nigeria’s power sector. While electricity supply and customer billing continue to improve, revenue collection remains a major obstacle to the financial sustainability of the industry.
Analysts note that stronger metering penetration, improved customer confidence, reduction in energy theft and more efficient collection systems will be critical if DisCos are to close the widening gap between electricity supplied, billed revenue and actual collections.
The March performance report comes as regulators and industry stakeholders intensify efforts to strengthen the commercial viability of the electricity market, attract fresh investment and improve service delivery across the country.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Interswitch has entered into a partnership with Geneva-headquartered banking software provider Temenos to offer managed banking services to financial institutions across the continent, deepening its push into banking technology.
The partnership will see Interswitch adopt Temenos’ banking technology across core banking, digital banking, payments, wealth management, and financial crime management.
This will enable the firm to provide cloud-hosted and on-premises managed services to lenders on the continent. The service will initially target Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, and other African markets.
“This is a pivotal moment for Interswitch as we accelerate our expansion beyond payments and reimagine digital banking for Africa,” Mr Jonah Adams, managing director for Digital Infrastructure and Managed Services at Interswitch, said in a statement.
By combining Temenos’ software with its existing footprint across the continent, Interswitch is positioning itself as a technology partner that can help banks upgrade critical systems without having to manage the complexity of large-scale technology deployments.
“By adopting Temenos’ cloud-native, composable platform, Interswitch gains the flexibility and scalability to accelerate its next phase of growth and deliver banking services that meet the needs of African markets,” Mr Adams added.
For Temenos, the deal strengthens its presence in Africa through a partner with deep relationships across the banking sector. It lost one of its banking customers, Sterling Bank, in 2024 after the tier-2 Nigerian bank switched to SEABaaS, a new custom-built core banking application.
“Interswitch is an important new customer and partner for Temenos in Africa,” said Mr William Moroney, Chief Revenue Officer at Temenos. “Interswitch’s strong presence across the continent also extends our reach and further strengthens our ecosystem and partner network.”
Founded in 2002, Interswitch built its reputation as one of Africa’s largest payments companies through products such as Quickteller and Verve, its domestic card scheme.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Tropical General Investments (TGI) Group and Singapore-based Wilmar International have agreed to combine their Nigeria and Republic of Benin operations into a 50:50 joint venture aimed at building a dominant integrated food and agribusiness platform across West Africa, targeting a market estimated at $12 billion.
The proposed merger will consolidate operations across several value chains, including agriculture, oil palm plantations, edible oils, edible nuts, rice, food manufacturing, and distribution, creating one of the region’s largest end-to-end food production and supply chains.
Under the arrangement, both firms will integrate their complementary strengths, with Wilmar contributing global expertise in palm oil, speciality fats, and large-scale agribusiness operations, while TGI brings established local manufacturing capacity, consumer brands, and an extensive distribution network across Nigeria and neighbouring markets.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Wilmar International, Mr Kuok Hong, said the partnership would enhance both firms’ ability to serve Africa’s expanding consumer base, describing Nigeria and Benin as strategic growth markets.
“For more than four decades, TGI Group has built a leading position in Nigerian food manufacturing and distribution. This partnership will leverage Wilmar’s global scale and expertise as well as TGI’s local knowledge to deliver innovative food solutions across Africa,” added TGI Group founder and chairman, Mr Cornelis Vink.
On his part, Vice Chairman of TGI Group, Mr Farouk Gumel, said the deal reflects confidence in Nigeria’s long-term economic prospects, adding that it would deepen domestic value addition, strengthen food security, support smallholder farmers, and create jobs.
Adding his input, Wilmar’s Africa Head, Mr Santosh Pillai, described the transaction as a strategic fit, noting that the combined entity would have the scale, local insight, and operational depth needed to better serve consumers in the region.
The companies said the transaction is expected to be completed in the 2026 financial year, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary conditions.
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