Truckers Blame NPA, Shippers Council as Military Officers Allegedly Hijack Haulage Business at Apapa Port

Truck drivers operating at Nigerian ports have lampoon the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers Council over the agencies alleged failure to successfully regulate business affairs at the port.

There is a general concern among the truck drivers over the entrance of some serving and retired military personnel into the business of evacuating cargoes from the port.

The truckers lament that military officers paint their trucks with the official army colour so as to ensure that their trucks are not stopped in the traffic or made to stay on the long queue into the port.

On one of such occasions witnessed by our correspondent, the military stopped all other vehicles from moving whenever their trucks are exiting the port with cargo.

Apart from this anomaly, the truckers alleged that there is an existing cartel now operating at the port called “Movers” of containers.

After getting their Terminal Delivery Order (TDO) which is like an invitation to come and pick cargo at the port, a trucker would need to approach of these contractors (movers) who would help pass the trucks into the port with N90,000.

Confirming the existing corruption at the port, Chairman of Tin Can 2 Chapter of Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA) Comrade Olufemi Olabanji alleged that the NPA appears to have authorised operations of the syndicate in collaboration with the Presidential Task Team on Apapa traffic.

He urged the the federal government to direct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to come and investigate the ugly trend.

He alleged that the Presidential Task Team headed by Kayode Opeifa cannot even confront the army painted trucks whenever they want to gain access to the trucks.

According to Olabanji who is the Chief Executive Officer of FEMAT Nigeria Limited, Nigeria is the only port where export containers are not being given priority, he said that export containers are being chased away from entering into the port.

He accused the Nigerian Shippers Council of being a spectator while export trade in Nigeria is being killed deliberately.

“If you go on the road now, Nigerian army officers have turned into truck drivers, we want the federal government to call Buratai the head of army, if there is nothing to do, the officers should be taken to the barracks and trained further”

“Currently, there is war is Maiduguri, and yet anywhere you go in Lagos, everyone is painting their trucks with army colour, I don’t know why Nigerian army officers have turned themselves to container truck carriers, they dont allow the truckers to do their job again”

“Let the EFCC come and investigate the matter, are the officers not getting paid? Of course they are being paid, but right now, they dont allow people to move again, it is the army that is handling the trucking of cargoes now, it is a shameful system for a white man to want to hire a truck and you ask them to meet the Nigerian army, when there is war in Maiduguri”

“It is getting worst everyday, export containers are being chased away from entering into the port”

“We as ANLCA at Lillypond Terminal were driven out of the terminal because of the truckers, but for the past two years, nothing is happening at Lillypond terminal, NPA has failed, the top management to the least, the government supposed to sack all of them, how can you be given a single truck terminal and for a whole year you cannot control it”

“The COMTUA does not any system about the port, their own is just to buy trucks and give someone to drive for them, the only thing they are after is for their truck to go into the port” he said

Also speaking with our correspondent a truck driver at Apapa port, Mr Odion Isaacs, said that the situation is becoming worrisome. According to him, the cargoes being evacuated by the military officials are not federal government cargoes or military cargoes, but that they are normal cargoes which truckers ought to handle.

Odion said “The generals have turned into trailer operators, if they want to do a business, let then do it without intimidation, you cannot insist that your own truck must go inside the port before other trucks”

“All these Presidential Task Team officials cannot confront the solders when they are moving, you cannot stay on the road” he said

On the movement of trucks into the port to pick cargoes, he said what the terminal operators ought to do is to send the truck numbers to the NPA and to the Police so that when they are coming, nobody would need to be their contactor.

“NPA has given them contractors, you cannot come into the port without contractors, these are the people we call “movers”
Many people are dying, many people are leaving the business because the trucking system is not going fine”

“To drop empty containers at the bonded terminals initially was free, highest is to pay N500, but now, you must spend N120,000 before you can drop an empty container, this is happening everywhere”