Truckers, under the aegis of the Containerised Truck Owners, the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) and Container Truck Owners Association of Nigeria (COTOAN), have expressed their determination to work towards eliminating the gridlock on roads leading to Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports
The idea, they say, was to help their businesses recover from the menace of the gridlock and check drivers’ fatigue and other threats to the health of road users.
This was contained in a joint statement of AMATO and COTOAN signed by Remi Ogungbemi and Wasiu Oloruntoyin, and issued after a meeting of its leadership in Lagos at the weekend.
According to the statement, lack of automation system to regulate movement of trucks going into the ports to pick cargoes and drop exports or empty containers; as well as extortion of money between truckers and security operatives in order to gain advantageous positions on the queue along the port roads are among the challenges facing truck operators in the nation’s seaport.
“Absence of modern and befitting public terminals has seen a large number of truckers without garages parking on the roads and bridges,” the statement further said.
The statement, which said that the operators are currently relating with relevant authorities to create enabling working environment for its members, said that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has approved the manual call-up system for trucks.
Stating their resolve to imbibe and test-run the system, the truckers appealed to members to give the call-up system a trial. “All trucks should leave the roads and wait in their garages to collect call-up before coming to the roads. Let us endeavour to submit all required information/documents to facilitate issuance of the call-up.
On extortion, the statement, which blamed its members for encouraging extortion by bribing their way to gain vantage position or to make illegal runs against oncoming traffic, advised members to put an end to such acts.
The statement further urged the truck associations and members to endeavour to work towards bringing professionalism to the fore in their work.
Uzoamaka Anagor-Ewuzie
