Nigeria at 64: Maritime Haulage Industry Faces Challenges, As AMATO Calls for Urgent Reforms

0
Chief Remi Ogungbemi, Chairman of AMATO

Chief Remi Ogungbemi, Chairman of AMATO

As Nigeria marks 64 years of independence, the maritime haulage industry, a critical pillar of the nation’s economy, reflects on its progress and ongoing challenges. Despite the significant potential of the sector to contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth, inefficiencies, government neglect, and systemic issues continue to hinder its full optimization. The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), in its comprehensive assessment, highlights the key hurdles faced by operators, including the debilitating effects of extortion by non-state actors, poor infrastructure, inconsistent government regulations, and underwhelming support from authorities. The association calls for decisive government action to resolve these issues and enable the maritime haulage sector to play its vital role in national development.

“While we acknowledge the government’s efforts in port facility upgrades and road maintenance, the maritime haulage sector is still plagued by fundamental challenges that need urgent attention,” AMATO states, emphasizing the need for stronger political will to drive necessary reforms.

CHALLENGES SO FAR FACED BY THE MARITIME HAULAGE OPERATORS.

1. ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS –
It is pertinent to say that, the nation’s systemic rot extends to the maritime industry just like other facet of the Nigerian life.

Suffice to say that, the most agonising rot bedevilling the maritime haulage sector is the presence and activities of interlopers in the form of non-state and state actors.

It beats ones imagination that Government at all levels literally sat idly to allow the activities of non-state actors to fester to the point that they now operate like bandits and highway robbers to forcefully extort money from truckers in spite of an extant law called the tax and levies act that forbids anyone including state apparatus from doing so.

One of the tenets and fulcrum of a civilised society is the rule of law and adherence to it as well as the security to lives and property.

It is regrettable to posit that our drivers and assets (trucks) have not been adequately protected which cascades down to the flagrant display of brazen extortion this marauding group, most times with the subtle connivance of some unscrupulous state actors charged with the constitutional responsibility to protect lives and properties anywhere in Nigeria!

2. ROAD FACTOR –
The deplorable state of our roads, still constitute a challenge to both road safety issues/safe to load and logistics efficiency through on time delivery (OTD) that has the tendency to trigger artificial scarcity that can engender food inflation.

The road factor as does the activities of road bandits (state and non-state actors) contribute largely to the wear and tear of trucks (be it brand new, foreign/Nigerian used) that diminishes the attainment of the minimum safety standards required to be met by relevant agencies of Government.

3. INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT-
There is no gainsaying that logistics is the nerve centre of economic activities in any economy. Consequently, Government support at all levels can not be over emphasised. Unfortunately, in this regard, Government support has been minimal and almost non-existent.

For instance the port was concessioned without the thought of providing a befitting truck park to serve as a marshalling yard. This in no time came with it’s teething challenges. Notwithstanding this debacle, efforts to get the Government to support the maritime trucking community in this wise has not yielded fruits hitherto.

4. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS-

The maritime haulage sector operating in Lagos state for instance has been groaning under stifling regulations, rather than a regulatory framework that should encourage growth driven by the economic activities that this sector propels between the urban and rural areas that trucks traverses. A look at the fine schedule of the FRSC and LASTMA would show you a wide disparity in the fine being imposed by LASTMA over that of the FRSC on the same infraction and jurisdiction.

The fine imposed by the former gives the indication that safety is sacrificed purely for the commercialisation of traffic offences.

5. TECHNOLOGY-

The advent of Call Up System for traffic management and scheduling of the movement of trucks into the ports was a water shed and game changer when the chaotic traffic situation at both Apapa and the Tin Can ports reached an excruciating crescendo, taking a serious toll on the nation’s economy and haulage business. Unfortunately, the efficiency of the call up system is being affected by the lack of supportive enforcement architecture for the Call Up Standard Operating Procedure, terminal inefficiency, existence multiple checkpoints of extortion along the Ports access roads. Efforts to get the Authorities to embrace full automation via e-tag and scheduler system in order to eliminate the shortcomings of call up racketeering, Truck multiple identity and amongst other challenges of call up system observed so far has been an uphill task.

However, in spite of all these lapses, the traffic situation has improved significantly around the ports (Apapa and Tin Can).

6. TERMINALS –
The prevalent lapses in the operation of some terminals concession has left much to be desired. A situation where truckers/agents are made to pay for the inefficiencies of the terminal resulting in payments for TDO revalidation is horrendous to say the least.

In some cases, frequent network disruptions by terminals induce traffic congestion, loss for clients and needless delays for truckers in pregates and along the ports access roads, sadly compounds daily economic losses to both truckers and agents.

Efforts to get these terminals to run efficiently and effectively has been a tall order in spite of several complaints lodged with the regulatory authorities.

There is the challenge of terminals not installing access barriers to eliminate criss – crossing of trucks and weigh bridges to enhance the integrity of the weight of the cargo being picked from the port so as to comply with the safe to load practice amongst other things required for road safety.

In conclusion, while we acknowledge Government efforts on ports facility upgrade, deployment of Port Community System, National Single Widow and road maintenance and rehabilitation along the port corridors, there exist backlogs of strategic roads to be rehabilitated for ease of movement for trucks within and outside the port.

The issue of the non-state actors, though receiving the attention, we hope for unflinching political will to permanently put an end to the menace.

If Nigeria is to benefit immensely from ACFTA and the gains it hopes to achieve from the marine and blue economy, the maritime haulage sector must be supported by eliminating the appalling crudity of toll collection on the roads under whatever guise, so it can effectively play it’s role and contribute it’s quota accordingly.

One of the grave concern on the activities of extortion bandits is that it heightens the cost of operations that has a negative multiplier effect on the economy as well as erodes the comparative cost advantage that the Nation should benefit more from with regards to ACFTA and the marine and blue economy.

To this end, we call on the Government to be resolute and decisive with the political will to dismantle this economic saboteurs in the overall interest of our country.

We wish everyone Happy 64th Independence Anniversary.

Courtesy: Consortium of Maritime Truckers under auspices of AMATO

Facebook Comments Box

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Share
Â