Truck operators at the nations seaports have lamented that the recently introduced manual call-up system of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is being bedeviled by constant favouritism and selectivity on the part of the Task Force mandated to handle the call-up procedure.
Speaking to the Nigerian Tribune exclusively, the Chairman of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi explained that they are optimistic that the manual call-up system of the NPA will improve as time goes on.
According to Chief Remi Ogungbemi, “It is important to note that no system world over is perfect. The NPA’s manual call-up system is still under test-running. It has just started, so I believe with time, it will improve.
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“Yes, there are hiccups here and there with the NPA manual call-up system. Many of the truckers are finding it difficult to understand the system for now, including myself. So many challenges have arose from the test running of the manual call-up system.
“Very few truckers have understood the system, and are already benefiting from it. When I say benefiting, I mean the amount of money truckers used to spend on a truck before it enters the ports before has reduced. Another benefit is that the access roads are getting more decongested than they used to be before.
“However, our findings have revealed that those very few operators that were benefiting from the old system are bent on frustrating the new call-up system. These very few operators have been aided by the manual system of the new process.
“Because the system is being handled with human contact, some form of favouritism and selectivity has been noticed by some of our members. Some of our members have raised concerns as regards these issues, but I will like to appeal to everybody to exercise patience because without patience, we cannot achieve set goals.
“I will also like to use this medium to appeal to the people mandated by the NPA to roll out the call-ups system, and the Task Force, that they should minimize selectivity and favouritism while they are discharging their responsibility during the day and night.
“Many of these issues happen during the dead of the night when Lagos is asleep. Our members have raised concerns about them, but we believe that with time, the system will correct itself.”
It would be recalled that the NPA recently launched a manual call-up system to address the issue of long queue of articulated vehicles lined up along the ports access roads and in some parts of Lagos.
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