Stakeholders intensify safety campaign to forestall falling of containers on roads

Amalgamation of Container Truck Owners Association of Nigeria (ACTOAN), in collaboration with Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) and Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) have commenced safety campaign to forestall frequent falling of containers on the roads.

The sensitisation campaign, which also saw collaboration from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), was taken to truckers, drivers and conductors at MPS Ijora Olopa pregate/truck park, EMOT terminal Ijora, Lillypond pregate transit park and Danlami park, Marine brigde.

The theme of the campaign is: “Zero Tolerance to Falling of Containers on the Roads.” The Coordinator of ACTOAN, Ridwan Bello, while sympathising with families of recent ghastly container accidents, said the group would ensure continuous sensitisation of the trucking community members on the need to comply with minimum safety standard for trucks.

He said the group would continue to engage NPA, LASTMA, FRSC, VIO, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and terminal operators on regulatory lapses, compromise and poor enforcement of minimum safety standards to bring to barest minimum, the rate at which containers are upturning on Lagos roads.

Bello said findings from the thorough investigation by the group identified various factors largely responsible for safety hazards causing the fall of container-laden trucks.

According to him, these factors are lapses, compromise and poor enforcement of the minimum safety standard by ports safety officials, terminal operators, security/safety/traffic enforcement agencies on the roads, activities of illegal toll collecting hoodlums on highways/roads and non-compliance of truckers.

He said some truck owners dodge the minimum safety standard as well as have poor attitude towards regular maintenance of their trucks. Others include, employment of drivers without adequate training and valid driver’s licence, alcohol and drug intake by some truck drivers before embarking on journey.

Bello noted that safety, security/traffic enforcement officers prioritise extortion of truckers over aggressive implementation of minimum safety standard on the roads.

He said they collect bribe and allow trucks without container twistlocks, headlight, side mirrors, neat tail body, weak break, goodspring, good axle, among others to access the port to carry load and jeopardise the lives of people on the roads.

Bello said they also sabotage the safety standard and compliance of truckers through damage of truck windscreen, breaking side mirrors, truck cap, stabbing truck tyres with daggers, and beating drivers for refusing to pay money at checkpoints instead of enforcing minimum safety standard.

He noted that investigation also revealed that lawless hoodlums in their effort to collect money from drivers, remove break hose of moving trucks leading to break failure and crashing of trucks with passengers and vehicles.

Bello further disclosed that the ports and terminals safety officers carelessly allow trucks with incomplete container hooks, worn out tyres, bad tail body headlights, among others to access, load and leave the ports and terminals.

He said from the analysis, without sentiment and bias, it is crystal clear that government, port authority, truckers, hoodlums, security/traffic/safety enforcement agencies and terminals are all culpable in the incessant falling of containers on roads.

The group, however, urged Lagos State government to outlaw, ban, and criminalize activities of roads/highways hoodlums causing truck accident and endangering the lives and property of road users across the state.

The group also urged relevant stakeholder to be more proactive in the enforcement of minimum safety standard on errant truckers to prevent avoidable falling of containers.

The group called for distancing bus stops from highways/bridge foot to prevent collision of trucks with pedestrian and motorists in the event of trucks losing control.

The group also called for outright ban of commercial bus operators from sudden stop and picking up of passengers at unauthorised spots on the roads. Bello said this causes sudden matching of break by truck drivers, which could trigger waving and falling of containers or cause the truck to collide with buses and other vehicles on the highways.