NPA Eto: Truckers Seek Abolition of N30,000 Annual Registration Fees, Cautions On Minimum Standard for Trucks

By DAPO OLAWUNI

Truck drivers under the aegis of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO) has charged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Truck Transit Park (TTP) Limited operating the electronic call-up system for trucks to abolish the N30,000 annual registration fees being demanded from truckers.

The truckers have also charged NPA to remove the monetary charges attached to its Minimum Safety Standard for Trucks, saying that ETO charges should be enough to take care of such

In a position paper presented at a meeting with the NPA management in Lagos on Monday, a copy of which was forwarded to DAILY TREND NEWS by Chief Remi Ogungbemi, Chairman of AMARTO, the truckers listed some of their challenges to include indiscriminate clamping of trucks and slamming of bills by NPA for some offenses that are not absolutely the truckers fault.

The truckers accused NPA, LASTMA and implenters of the electronic call-up system of indiscriminate arrest, towing, and slamming unreceipted bills between N150,000 to N250,000 as ransom to be paid before the truck can be released.

The truckers have also presented a long list of demanded from the NPA, and the Lagos State Government over the traffic management in Apapa.

Some of the demands are that the “Lagos State Government should stop impounding and towing trucks with valid eto tickets moving to transit parks, pregates and ports”

“Unconditional release of all trucks with valid eto tickets arrested by Lagos State Government traffic agents”

“Lagos State State traffic agents should stop impounding and towing trucks on queue to drop empty containers at holding bays invade any truck park to unlawfully tow trucks”

“Committee that would include truckers should be put in place immediately for downward review of towing charges by the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA and Lagos State Government”

” That if there is any violation or wrong parking, the body of trucking associations should be contacted for immediate repositioning to achieve the expected traffic sanity and orderliness”

“All traffic check points of unlawful extortion of truckers should be dismantled with immediate effect”

“Immediate replacement of all road operatives that have been involved in passing of trucks be it NPA, Police, LASTMA, FRSC and Truckers. In as much as these category of people are still on the road, the status quo of unlawful extortion, road lordship, gangsterism, cabalism and artificial traffic are bound to continue”

“Truck and Transit Park Limited TTP should with immediate effect start programing the movement of all trucks in a way that every truck drivers would electronically knows when it is his turn to move to Transit Park, Pre-gate or any of the loading point in the port as measure to control indiscriminate releasing of trucks from parks choking bridges and roads in the port corridors which is undermining the much expected traffic sanity in the eto automation system”

“In the wake of identity theft where truck booking numbers are being stolen and sold to other trucks without eto ticket in collaboration with some corrupt elements at all eto ticket check points, TTP must put in place measures to prevent truckers that have suffered and spent huge amount of money in order to move their trucks from parks to pregates and ports from loosing their booking tickets”

“Timely uploading of import and export containers by APMT in collaboration with TTP to enable timely matching of trucks, containers, TDOs, etc in order to decongest parks and create space for trucks coming in”

“Suspension of 72 hours validity period for booking tickets”

“NPA/Police operative at port gates must stop the habit of delaying passing of trucks into the ports even when spaces are available inside the port”

“NPA should remodify and give the Minimum Safety Standard MSS arrangement a human face in a way it would conform with the nature and dynamics of Nigeria as developing country because we don’t manufacture truck in Nigeria”

“NPA should remove the monetary charges attached to MSS, because ETO charges should be enough to take care of such”