Stakeholders move against illegal checkpoints at Apapa port

Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) have teamed up with the Lagos State government to end illegal checkpoints around Apapa port.

Port users have continued to lament over the illegal checkpoints mounted by both uniform and non-uniform security personnel to extort money from truck drivers.

At a meeting held recently, the stakeholders expressed dismay over illegal checkpoints and its negative effect on traffic situation in Apapa.

The stakeholders, at the meeting, which was organised by the ports economic regulator, NSC, said there is an urgent need to sanitise the port access roads, adding that the extortion by security personnel is getting out of hand.

The Executive Secretary, NSC, Emmanuel Jime, who was represented by the Director, Consumer and Monitoring Affairs Department, Cajetan Agu, charged truck drivers to stop giving money to any security officer for whatever reason.

The representative of the NPA, Jamiu Anda Emmanuel, said all the non-state actors should be chased out of the ports to ensure sanity in the ports.

An Assistant Director at the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, Olayinka Olawale, charged the Abandoned Vehicles Committee to do their job rightly by clearing the traffic in Apapa area.

He said it was time for the committee to move into action, but advised that those whose vehicles are arrested should ask for tickets.

The National Organising Secretary of Committee of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA), Collin Dike, pointed out that the traffic issue in Apapa is being compounded by Lagos State Traffic Management Authority ( LASTMA) officials, saying truck owners who have mechanical issues with their trucks, are not allowed to touch their vehicles.