Private investors that won the deal to take over the operations of Tin-Can Island and Lilypond Truck Parks are currently working out modalities to begin operations at both parks, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has said.
At the completion of the modalities, private operators would oversee movement of trucks accessing Apapa and Tin-Can Island Ports.
Jatto Adams, general manager, corporate and strategic communications of NPA, confirmed this to BusinessDay over the telephone.
Adams said both investors actually took over the parks on April 2, 2020 but were still trying to map out the modalities to operate both parks.
“This was why the NPA has not been able to come out with any pronouncement concerning the takeover of both parks by new investors,” he said.
Adams said the NPA was yet to know how both parks would be run by both investors, whether or not it would be on pay-as-you-use basis.
He said NPA was also drafting the agreement with the private investors, assuring that it was only when all the arrangements are concluded that the authority would make public the terms of the transaction.
Remi Ogungbemi, chairman, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), told SHIPS & PORTS that the Tin-Can Trailer Park was handed over to MOB Integrated Services Limited while the Lilypond Truck Park would be managed by Truck Transit Park Nigeria Limited.
Ogungbemi also confirmed that the investors were yet to roll out modalities for the management of the truck parks.
He said the new arrangement would eliminate extortion of truck drivers, reduction in the number of security operatives and clogging of trucks along the port access roads.
He further said that for effective management of both parks, all trucks including petroleum tankers must be compelled to leave the roads to their private parks and garages where they would be called when it is their turn to load.
“I believe that things would change for the better. The management of the parks should use it to ensure orderliness and sanity on our roads. The parks should not be run as usual and the management should not allow personal interests to override majority interest,” Ogungbemi said.
He further advised that all security agencies, including the task force team involved in the passing of trucks, be replaced with new hands in order for them not to circumvent the new arrangement.
“There should also be a numerical system that would indicate the number of trucks that would be called and each truck must have identification tag so that as the trucks are coming, the number would be displayed to avoid shunting,” he said.
