Truck owners in the maritime industry are at loggerhead with Truck Transit Park (TTP) Limited on the acclaimed achievements of the ETO call up system on easing gridlock along the ports corridor of Apapa, Lagos State.
The truckers under the aegis of Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA) expressed dissatisfaction of the company’s claims of resolving the perennial traffic situation in the port city of Apapa, arguing that the situation under the call up system as managed by TTP Limited was yet to address truckers plight.
Apparently dissatisfied with the performance to clear the port corridors from traffic, the the leadership of COMTUA criticised management of Truck Transit Park (TTP) Limited for the acclaimed achievements of the ETO call up system on easing gridlock along the Apapa port .
COMTUA , while lampooning management of TTP Limited in a statement signed by the President, Mr.Adeyinka Aroyewun alleged that the company is bent on convincing the federal government into ceding the Lekki port to it for truck call up contract
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According to him, members of the association have continued to experience challenges in accessing and conducting their lawful businesses despite the introduction of the electronic call up system via the electronic application called Eto as introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) but operated/managed by Trucks Transit Parks Limited (TTPL).
He noted that the road leading to the port was never free of stationary trucks and extortion was on the increase, alleging that the imposition of the Minimum Safety sticker of the NPA, which gave hitherto been placed on hold by a court for revenue purposes.
The statement reads in full:
“Our attention has been drawn to lies of Mr Jamal on the achievements of eto call up in clearing the gridlock on the port corridor in Apapa. This he is using as an instrument to convince the federal government into ceding the lekki port to it for truck call up.
“We continue to wonder why this character will thinks he can deceive everybody into accepting the entire failure of his company as a Nigerian problem.
“We would, ordinarily have ignored him and allow the NPA fall the same victim of his fraud twice, but the interest of our business and the entire nation is our guide.
“Most disturbing is his claim that COMTUA endorses or recommends him. This is laughable, as we have not seen anything good in his illegal and imposed procedure.The failure of TTP and the illegality involved are as follows:
” Members of Council of Maritime Transport Union Association (“COMTUA”) have continued to experience challenges in accessing and conducting our lawful businesses despite the introduction of the electronic call up system (via the electronic application called Eto (“ETO” or the “App”) introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority (“NPA”) but operated/managed by Trucks Transit Parks Limited (“TTPL”).
“Despite the intendment of the App, which should ordinarily aid the use and access to the ports without any human interface or forms of preference, members of the our association have experienced incessant cases of such human interface and preferences which makes the continued use and/or operation of ETO an abuse.
” Our members are required to, irrespective of the location of their trucks, specifically pay for certain dues, including satellite and pre-gate garages, whether or not these services are used or usable or reasonable. Also, notwithstanding procuring the required and approved governmental documents for the road worthiness of our trucks, members of the our association are subjected to a second mandatory road worthiness documentation process with the NPA before the use and access to the ports.
” Further to the above, and in abuse of the rights of movement of members of the COMTUA, their trucks are unable to freely move both within and outside the precincts of the ports, except and until these documentations, among other things, are procured from the NPA.
‘The charges imposed for the use and access to the ports have been unilaterally altered repeatedly (about five times) by TTPL without any form of consultation or consideration for the interests of the users of the ports, including members of the our.
“The road leading to the port is never free of stationary trucks and extortion is on the increase.
” The imposition of the fraudulent Minimum Safety sticker of the NPA, which gave hitherto been placed on hold by a court for revenue purposes.
“We are by this medium advising the Federal government, Lagos state government, The Nigerian Ports Authority and other investors in the Lekki Deep Sea Port to seek a credible alternative and not reinforce the failure of Truck Transit Park we are witnessing in Apapa.