Port users are at loggerheads over the functionality of the electronic call-up system regulating the movement of containers to and from the Lagos seaports. While some groups have staged protests, describing the system as failed and fraudulent, citing persistent extortion along port corridors, others argue that calls for the system’s removal are being driven by individuals seeking to revive the old regime of exploitation and chaos that caused perennial traffic congestion around the ports.
Members of the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) and the National Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP) recently took to the streets in protest, expressing deep frustration with the current system.
According to them, their businesses are collapsing, and port logistics have been hijacked by foreign truck operators and personnel of the Nigerian military, leaving local transporters struggling to survive.
They further alleged that instead of resolving corruption and congestion, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has enabled extortion. The protesters are demanding a transparent review of the system and immediate reforms to restore order. They insist that the situation has deteriorated and are calling for the complete removal of the call-up system.
Some truckers, however, allege that those leading the campaign for the system’s removal are, in fact, part of the cabals who benefited from the former era of unregulated truck movement and extortion. They argue that such individuals are now aggrieved because the digital reforms have crippled their illicit income streams.
The Secretary General of the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), Mr. Mohammed Sani, raised the alarm over alleged attempts by certain interest groups to sabotage the electronic call-up system governing truck movement into Lagos ports, describing such moves as a ploy to restore the chaotic manual regime.
Sani accused “old forces” of orchestrating a campaign to discredit the automation process in order to revive a system that previously encouraged extortion and disorder along port access routes, particularly Military Road.
“They’re just looking for a way to kill the automation system so that we can go back to manual. On Military Road, they were charging N200,000 to N300,000 just to allow access to the port. These are the same people trying to stage a comeback and blackmail the call-up system. But they are too late,” he said.
The electronic call-up system, introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in collaboration with Truck Transit Park Limited and relevant stakeholders, was designed to decongest access roads to Apapa and Tin Can ports, reduce extortion, and streamline truck movement through a digital scheduling process.
Sani reaffirmed LASTCOC’s commitment to upholding automation, which he described as the cornerstone of ongoing reforms in the port logistics ecosystem.
“Manual call-up has been buried; we cannot go back to that period that they want to reverse us to,” he said.
Meanwhile, stakeholder engagements are ongoing, involving truckers, customs agents, terminal operators, and shipping companies, aimed at reforming the system, which many claim has been overtaken by cabals.
The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has affirmed its support for the ongoing automation of the truck call-up system at the ports, while distancing itself from any protest against the reforms.
Speaking on behalf of the association, the Public Relations Officer of the Tin Can Island Chapter, Clinton Ikechukwu Okoro, disclosed that customs agents and freight forwarders have been actively engaged in discussions with the NPA, terminal operators, and other stakeholders regarding improvements to the electronic call-up platform.
He explained that rather than opposing the system, freight forwarders are advocating for technical upgrades to include essential data fields such as the Terminal Delivery Order (TDO) number and vehicle details, making the process more transparent and traceable.
According to him, the proposed structure would give freight forwarders the responsibility to initiate the application, which would then be reviewed and cleared by the port authority and passed on to the transport task group for enforcement.
“We are the major players in the industry and the ones doing the work. From our side, there is nothing like protests. We’ve been having roundtable discussions to streamline the process so that everything will be easy for everyone,” he said.
Okoro emphasised that the collaborative effort aims to curb long-standing issues such as racketeering and hoarding of call-up slots, which often inflate prices and hinder port operations.
“The essence of all this is to stop racketeering where one person buys up the access and then hikes the price. We want to put an end to that, to make business easier for everyone in Africa.”
As tensions mount over alleged sabotage efforts, stakeholders across the maritime and logistics sector are being urged to resist any attempts to derail digital reforms that have begun yielding measurable results in cargo movement efficiency and road decongestion.
