General
Apapa Gridlock: Lagos Removes 2000 Trucks to Ease Traffic
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Joint Task Force set up by the Lagos State government involving security agencies and stakeholders in the maritime sector to remove all containerized trucks and tankers parked along the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway has opened up the service lane in the axis.
Speaking with reporters after inspecting the progress of the operation in company of heads of security agencies and other stakeholders, Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Ladi Lawanson, said it was gratifying to report that the Task Force was able to free the road from Toyota to Mile 2 in a rigorous operation which lasted for 72 hours between Friday and Sunday.
Tagged ‘Operation Restore Sanity On Lagos Roads,’ the State Government had set up the Task Force involving 2,271 personnel drawn from the Police, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), and Nigerian Military including Army, Air Force and the Navy.
The operation also involved relevant unions within the maritime sector such as Amalgamation of Container Truck Owners Association, Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NATO), Road Trasnport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), among others.
He said to build on the gains so far recorded, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has already extended the operation of the Task Force for another 48 hours, while he would also host a meeting involving all the stakeholders in Alausa on Monday to come up with lasting solution to the menace.
He said: “Tomorrow, the Governor is engaging all the stakeholders further to his interventions through the palliative measures that the Lagos State Commissioner of Police CP Imohimi Edgal is implementing to come up with lasting solutions.
“The Governor will specifically be meeting with the Nigeria Ports Authority, Shippers Council, Tank Farm Owners, Department of Petroleum Resources, among others because that is where the problem is really emanating from.
“What we are doing now are just palliative measures and we have to solve the problem from the source. Even though this is not within the Governor’s jurisdiction but he is adopting a collaborative approach with these agencies of the Federal Government which are the root cause of the problem to look for a medium to long term solutions in support of the palliative measure that the Governor has started,” Mr Lawanson said.
Giving details on the operation, Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Kehinde Bamigbetan said over 2000 articulated vehicles were removed from the road including Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, Funsho Williams Avenue and Mile 2-Orile Road and taken to seven designated holding bays.
According to him, “Personnel for the operation were mustered at the State Headquarters of the Police, Ikeja at about 2200hours of 20/07/2018 where they were addressed by the Commissioner of Police, CP Imohimi Edgal.
“This was followed by their deployment to the locations for the evacuation of the petroleum tankers and flat belt trucks causing gridlock from the service lanes and the expressway to seven holding bays at Ijora, Isolo, Amowu-Odofin, Orile, Apapa and Ijesha with the help of two Goliaths deployed by LASEMA.”
He said though it was a common knowledge that the issues which gave rise to the chaos was mainly about breakdown of activities at the Ports and lack of holding bays by some tank farms and shipping lines operating in the axis, the State Government nonetheless was taking it upon itself to come up with palliative measures to free the road.
He said the State Government has also resolved to set up a Mobile Court within the axis to summarily deal with recalcitrant drivers of articulated vehicles who may want to draw back the recent gains recorded.
The State Commissioner of Police, Mr Edgal Imohimi, Lagos Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corp (FRSC), Mr Hyginus Omeje, LASEMA General Manager, Mr Adeshina Tiamiyu, Heads of Military Formations in Lagos, among others were part of the inspection tour to assess the operation.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
For the second consecutive month, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has become the largest supplier of jet fuel to Europe, outpacing the United States of America (USA).
Data from Kpler showed that in July 2026, the Lagos-based oil facility, which has the capacity to refine 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day, produced more than 400,000 tonnes of jet fuel.
In June 2026, the private refinery, owned by Mr Aliko Dangote, exported 466,000 tonnes to Europe, underscoring its growing influence on international fuel markets and highlighting Nigeria’s emergence as a strategic player in global refined petroleum trade.
The latest data indicated that Dangote Refinery accounts for approximately 20 per cent of Europe’s total jet fuel imports last month.
The sustained export performance marks a significant milestone for the refinery, demonstrating its ability to consistently supply one of the world’s most demanding fuel markets with aviation fuel that meets stringent international quality specifications. Europe imported approximately 2.06 million tonnes of jet fuel in July, with Dangote accounting for the single largest share of those imports, ahead of traditional suppliers from the United States and the Middle East.
Industry observers say the refinery is rapidly reshaping established Atlantic Basin fuel trade flows by offering a competitive alternative to long-standing suppliers. While European buyers have traditionally relied on refiners in the United States, the Middle East and Asia, Dangote’s strategic location on Nigeria’s Atlantic coast, combined with its scale, modern technology and export capability, has enabled it to become an increasingly important source of aviation fuel for European markets.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate the court ordering the freezing of the bank account of the Osun Srate government.
In a statement today by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President said he’s “deeply embarrassed not by the EFCC’s exercise of its mandate backed by a court order” because of its timing, which is just a few days to the governorship election in the state next Saturday.
According to him, actions of an institution of State, especially at the Federal level, is always credited to me, as the President, even when I may not have had any prior knowledge of the action.
“Since assuming office, I have consistently maintained that anti-corruption and law enforcement agencies must be allowed to discharge their statutory responsibilities independently, professionally, without fear or favour, or political interference. I have therefore deliberately refrained from directing or interfering in the operational activities of the EFCC or any other investigative or prosecutorial agency because I firmly believe that strong democratic institutions, operating within the confines of the law, are indispensable to democratic good governance and the rule of law.
“As President, I am committed to allowing institutions of State to function and take any action they consider necessary in the interest of proper governance without the need for any prior approval. Indeed, that is why institutions are set up by law with clearly defined powers. While I am yet to be fully apprised of the facts which informed the action of EFCC in approaching the court to obtain the said order freezing the Osun State Government account, I am not in the slightest doubt that the timing of the action of EFCC is inauspicious, and therefore I feel compelled to intervene.
“Osun State is only a few days away from its gubernatorial election. Therefore, nothing ought to be done to give an impression that the EFCC or indeed any other agency of the federal government is being used to interfere with the election.
“Based on the foregoing premise, I am duty-bound to issue a directive on this issue in consonance with the overriding public interest in preserving public confidence and the integrity, credibility, and fairness of our democratic process.
“Accordingly, I have directed the EFCC to immediately proceed to the court to vacate the order and discontinue whatever action it has instituted against the Osun State Government in this regard,” the statement stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
