Importers Suffer Hike in Haulage Costs, As NPA’ Eto Call-up System Suffer Major Setbacks

By DAPO OLAWUNI

The cost of transporting cargoes from Apapa ports in the past weeks has doubled, this is due to the bad access road leading into the Apapa port, a development that has made the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) electronic call-up system suffer major setbacks.

Confirming the situation at the weekend, Managing Director of Truck Transit Park Limited (TTP) Mr Jama Onwubuariri stated that the cost of Cargo transport at the port has increased due to delays in movement of trucks out of the port.

“The cost of haulage has slightly increased because of the delays in moving trucks in and out of the port. However, we are engaging with the State Government together with other stakeholders to see how the road construction in Apapa can be hastened and cost of Cargo movement can be reduce.

“We have two major issues at the moment, there is a failed portion of the road by Naval Dockyard which makes it dangerous for trucks to pass, so usually the trucks had to wait sometimes for palliatives to be done on the road for them to pass. This is affecting the free flow of traffic

“The wharf road is also being reconstructed and the work is going on at a very slow pace, because of this, it has been difficult to move the same amount of trucks that we were moving few weeks ago through that part of the road.

“Because of this, we now channel some trucks coming out of the port to pass through one-way, the side of the road that is supposed to be inbound to the port is now being used as both inbound and outbound

“All these issues combined has made it difficult for us to move trucks at the same place as we were moving them weeks ago.

“We are hoping that the palliatives being done at the Naval Dockyard portion of the road would be concluded soon so that normal movement of trucks can resume” he concluded