Truckers protest extortion, inefficiencies in Lagos ports

• Allege cartels exploiting electronic call-up system

Maritime truck owners and drivers yesterday protested against issues surrounding the electronic call-up system, racketeering, terminal inefficiencies causing trucks to queue on port access roads, and multiple extortions, which have taken a financial toll on businesses.

The protesters, who marched from the Lillypond Truck Park in Ijora to Apapa Port and Tin Can Island Port, warned that extortion checkpoints, racketeering, and terminal inefficiencies not only create financial strain on truck operators but also delay cargo movement by hindering truck entry and exit from the ports.

The Guardian learnt that cartels generate call-up tickets and sell them through black markets for amounts ranging from N250,000 to N400,000, while trucks are forced to pay between N5,000 and N20,000 at each extortion point along the port corridors.

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions, including “ETO Call Up Is Working,” “Eliminate Extortion Checkpoints In Apapa And Tincan Ports,” “Call up is working, improve terminal efficiency,” “MTDA supports ETO call up against extortion checkpoints,” “ETO call up has addressed traffic in Apapa and Tin Can corridors,” “Remove extortion checkpoints and give us ETAG,” and “MTDA supports ETO call up against going back to Egypt.”

The truck owners and drivers are advocating the introduction of Electronic Tags (ETAG), which they believe would help prevent the manipulation of call-up allocations. They also urged authorities to address the issue of multiple extortion checkpoints and deploy truck scheduling systems to enhance call-up efficiency.

According to truckers’ associations and committees, the production of ETAG will eliminate call-up racketeering and the use of multiple identities to access the ports.

The Chairman of the Lagos State Trucks and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), Lukeman Shittu, defended the electronic call-up system, stating that calls to abandon the system in favour of older methods are misguided and only serve those who benefited from the previous chaotic and unregulated access to the ports.

Zangalo, drawing on his two decades of experience in the trucking sector, highlighted how the port environment has improved since the introduction of the ETO system. He compared it to 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 said.

Zangalo acknowledged that some operational issues remain, particularly during terminal downtimes 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, expressed confidence in the electronic call-up system, praising its role in eliminating gridlock and improving traffic flow along the Apapa and Tin Can Island logistics corridors.

While applauding the platform, Bala raised concerns about extortion checkpoints allegedly operated by security personnel and others 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 said.

He also proposed implementing a truck scheduling system to ensure that only trucks officially released from holding bays are allowed into the ports, noting that this would help prevent unauthorised entry and reduce congestion.

Bala called for improved terminal operations to complement 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 the Maritime Truck Drivers Association (MTDA), Afeez Alabi, rejected any attempts to undermine the electronic call-up system, warning that a return to the chaotic old order of port access would cripple operations and reverse the progress made along the Apapa port corridor.

He said the digital system has brought transparency and order to truck movements 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. He described this as a sign of entrenched corruption that truckers want eliminated.

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