Sallah: Truckers lament business downtime at Lagos port, blame low importation

Truckers at the nation’s ports have lamented that despite the huge volume of import business that usually accompanies Sallah periods in recent past, this year’s Sallah came and went without much activities happening around the ports.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune exclusively, Chairman, Dry Cargo section of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Alhaji Inuwa Abdulahi explained that, “Sallah periods are usually a time the whole port gets congested with clearing activities at its peak. But this year, it has not been like past years.

“The whole place is deserted. There are no cargoes to lift. Everybody is just wandering around looking for cargoes to freight, but there are none in sight. The importers are not clearing their consignments.

“Many of the importers who used to besiege the ports when Sallah is approaching are nowhere to be found.

“The level of importation has really dropped drastically. This year’s Sallah has been the worst in recent years when we are considering clearance of cargoes from the ports. Many haulage firms have no jobs and many are gradually facing hard times.

“Its not that the ports is not filled with containers. The issue is how many importers are ready to clear their cargoes? The level of importation has dropped and it is really affecting haulage firms like us. We have no jobs and it is telling on our operations.”

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When reminded that extortion truckers still complain about extortion despite the lull in business, the NARTO Chieftain explained that even the miscreants that extort truckers are not as many as they used to be because the trucks that are to be extorted are not just on the road.

“Even the level of extortion has dropped. It is when the roads are filled with trucks trying to enter or leave the port that extortion thrives. The roads are near empty. Even during the Sallah, the situation didn’t improve. The numbers of trucks having jobs are not as much as what they used to be, so the level of extortion has reduced.

“I am not saying truckers are not still being extorted, but the level at which it thrives have reduced because there are no jobs for truckers. Many have their trucks poarked in their garages without jobs. When Sallah was approaching, the expectation was high that importers will besiege the ports to clear their cargoes, but that didn’t happen. The situation is so bad. Many of the trucks are just there in the garages doing nothing,” the NARTO Chieftain lamented.