•Warn against scrapping e-call-up system
By Steve Agbota
A massive protest, engineered by maritime truck owners and drivers, erupted at the Lilipond terminal, Apapa port in Lagos yesterday.
They kicked against rampant extortion fees reaching N400,000 and condemned the widespread financial abuse crippling their businesses. The truckers also issued a stern warning against calls to scrap the electronic call-up system, insisting it remains vital to curbing chaos and ensuring orderly port operations.
The protesters, who started their protest from Lillypond Truck Park in Ijora to Apapa and Tin Can Island Ports warned that these extortion checkpoints, racketeering and terminal inefficiencies not only create financial strain on truck operators but also delay cargo movement by slowing down truck entry and exit from the ports. Daily Sun learnt that cartels are generating call-up tickets and selling them through the black market to go and sell from N250,000 to N400,000, while trucks pay about N5,000 to N20,000 for each extortion point at the port corridors.
The protesters carried placards with different inscriptions, such as “ETO call up is working, TTP be!!”, “Eliminate extortion checkpoints in Apapa and Tincan Ports, call up is working, improve terminal efficiency.”
“Maritime Truck Drivers Association (MTDA) supports ETO call up against extortion checkpoints. ETO call up has addressed traffic in Apapa and Tincan corridors, removed extortion checkpoints and given us ETAG among others.”
The truck owners and drivers are calling for the introduction of Electronic Tags (ETAG), which would help prevent manipulation of call-up allocations, as well as urging authorities to address multiple extortion checkpoints and deploy a truck scheduler system to enhance call-up efficiency.
According to the truckers’ associations and committee, the production of ETAG will eliminate call-up racketeering and the use of multiple identities to access the ports.
The Chairman of Lagos State Trucks and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), Lukeman Shittu, defended the electronic call-up system, declaring calls to abandon the system in favour of old methods are misguided and only serve those who once benefitted from chaos and unregulated access to the ports.
Zangalo drew on his two decades of experience in the trucking sector to highlight how the port environment has transformed since the introduction of the ETO system, unlike in the past, when trucks parked indiscriminately and clogged Lagos roads.
“We just want to clarify some misinformation out there; people calling for a return to the old system are not representing real stakeholders. Those were the ones benefiting from the disorder,” he stated.
Zangalo acknowledged that some operational issues remain, particularly when port terminals experience downtime or delays.
“If terminals like APMT or ENL are not operating efficiently, trucks can’t move. And TTP won’t release more trucks, leading to a backlog,” he noted.
The Secretary General of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Mohamed Sani Bala, declared a vote of confidence in the electronic call-up system, praising its impact in eliminating gridlock and improving traffic flow along the Apapa and Tin Can Island logistics corridors.
While applauding the electronic platform, Bala raised concerns about the negative impact of extortion checkpoints allegedly manned by security operatives and other personnel along the corridor.
“We want to appeal to the management of the NPA to please reduce the number of extortion checkpoints along the port corridors, as truckers are losing a lot of proceeds to the activities of the people operating most of these checkpoints.”
He also proposed the implementation of a truck scheduling system that ensures only trucks officially released from holding bays are allowed into the ports, noting that this will help avoid unauthorised entry and reduce congestion.
Bala called for improved terminal operations to match the gains of the call-up system, warning that delays at terminal gates and operational inefficiencies could undermine efforts to decongest the access roads.
The Public Relations Officer of Maritime Truck Drivers Association (MTDA), Afeez Alabi, rejected attempts to undermine the electronic call-up system, warning that any return to the chaotic old order of port access would cripple operations and reverse hard-won progress along the Apapa port corridor.
He said the digital system has brought transparency and order to truck movement in and out of the ports, exposing irregularities and significantly reducing traffic congestion.
Alabi acknowledged that while the system was initially introduced at a modest fee of N10,250, a black market has since emerged where call-up slots are resold for between N120,000 and N130,000, a sign of entrenched corruption the truckers want to be eliminated.
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