Protests rock Apapa, Tin-Can, Lillypond Terminals over N400,000 extortion

……warns against scrapping of E-Call-Up system

Maritime truck owners and drivers on Wednesday staged heavy protests against the call for the scrapping of the port electronic call-up system, stating that racketeering, terminal inefficiencies and multiple extortions are the major issues causing trucks to queue on the port access road’s, taking a financial toll on port haulage businesses.

The protesters who started their protest from Lillypond Truck Park in Ijora to Apapa port and Tin-Can Island Port, warned that these extortion checkpoints, racketeering and terminal inefficiencies, not only create financial strain on truck operations but also delay cargo movement by slowing down truck entry and exit from the ports.

According to the truckers, cartels are generating call-up tickets and selling it through black market rates between N250,000 to N400,000, while trucks pay about N5,000 to N20,000 each along each extortion points at the port corridors.

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The protesters who carried placards with different inscription such as “ETO Call Up Is Working;” “Eliminate Extortion Checkpoints In Apapa And Tin-Can Ports;” E-Call-Up is working;” “Improve terminal efficiency;” “Supports ETO call up against extortion checkpoints;” and “Remove extortion checkpoints and give us ETAG;” called for the introduction of Electronic Tags (ETAG), which would help prevent manipulation of call-up allocations.

Speaking with newsmen during the protest, Chairman of Lagos State Trucks and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), Lukman Shittu declared calls to abandon the electronic call-up system in favour of old methods as misguided and only serve those who once benefitted from chaos and unregulated access to the ports.

According to Shittu popularly known as Zangalo, “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 that persisted in the past.”

Zangalo acknowledged that some operational issues remain, particularly when port terminals experience downtime or delays.

“If terminals like APM Terminals or ENL are not operating efficiently, trucks can’t move, and Trucks Transit Parks won’t release more trucks, leading to a backlog,” he noted.

The Secretary General, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Mohamed Sani Bala, declared a vote of confidence in the electronic call-up system, praising its impact in eliminating gridlock and improving traffic flow along the Apapa and Tin-Can Island logistics corridors.

While applauding the electronic platform, Bala raised concerns about the negative impact of extortion checkpoints allegedly manned by security operatives and other personnel along the corridor.

“We want to appeal to the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (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 also proposed the implementation of a truck scheduling system that ensures only trucks officially released from holding bays are allowed into the ports, noting that this will help avoid unauthorised entry and reduce congestion.

Bala called for improved terminal operations to match the gains of the call-up system, warning that delays at terminal gates and operational inefficiencies could undermine efforts to decongest the access roads.
Also speaking, the Public Relations Officer of Maritime Truck Drivers Association (MTDA), Afeez Alabi, rejected attempts to undermine the electronic call-up system, warning that any return to the chaotic old order of port access would cripple operations and reverse hard-won progress along the Apapa port corridor.

He said that the digital system has brought transparency and order to truck movement 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 N250,000 and N400,000, a sign of entrenched corruption that the truckers want eliminated.

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