Placard-carrying container truck drivers yesterday grounded operational activities at the Lagos Ports Complex for several hours alleging that one of the concessionaires; APM Terminal is the cause of the delay experienced at the port because of its obsolete equipment .
The aggrieved drivers also called on the Federal Government to monitor the alleged excesses of APMT because according to them, the terminal operator lacks efficiency.
Placard-carrying container truck drivers yesterday grounded operational activities at the Lagos Ports Complex for several hours alleging that one of the concessionaires; APM Terminal is the cause of the delay experienced at the port because of its obsolete equipment .
The aggrieved drivers also called on the Federal Government to monitor the alleged excesses of APMT because according to them, the terminal operator lacks efficiency.
Some of the placard carried by the drivers read messages such as: "APMT have failed Nigerians"," APMT must go before we work again","APMT equipment are all obsolete"," We are tired of APMT activities", "Compare to other terminals like TICT , Ports and Cargo, APMT is not functioning well "etc., While some carried placards, others were chanting solidarity songs calling for the government to look into the plight of the drivers.
The haulage truck drivers lamented that the delay experience at the port overtime is as a result of poor infrastructures on the part of the terminal operator, especially as it concerns handling of containers that are due to exit the terminal.
The aggrieved drivers also lampooned leaders of all the haulage associations for failing to carry the drivers along and fighting a just cause.
Apart from the bad roads connecting the port, the drivers told reporters that APMT poses a serious threat to the port operations.
As at press time yesterday, only general cargo trucks that have found their ways into the port on Tuesday could exit the Lagos Port Complex, while those waiting to enter to lift or return empty containers were parked outside the port for hours.
Shipping Position Daily correspondent observed that, only general cargo trucks are allowed into the terminals, but containerised trucks are barred from entering into the port to pick containers.
Addressing journalist who witnessed the protest, one of the drivers,Comrade Ohaeri Frank and a member of Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) said that there is the need for the federal government to terminate its contract with APMT .
He alleged that most of the equipment at the terminal has collapsed, while only one staff is assigned to handle four machines, thus slowing down the pace of lifting containers from the port.
"APMT is killing the industry and that is why we want them to go, it takes three days for a truck to load, they are the ones causing the traffic on the roads apart from the bad roads
"APMT have no workers, they have no machines and it is only one of the machines that is working and all the congestion experience at Apapa port is caused by APMT", he added.
According to him, vehicles will go into the port to load for eight hours without loading and such instances aid congestion at the terminal and the outer roads.
"They don't have manpower, they don't have facilities and I can tell you that one person operates four machines at the same time "
"Though we have challenges of bad roads but with the situation at the terminal alone is the cause of the problem", Ohaeri stated.
"We insist that they should leave Nigeria because in South Africa they were chased back to their country because of incompetence, in Ghana they did something similar but because of corruption they are still here in Nigeria", he added.
Also speaking to the media, a driver who simply identified himself as Yahaya lamented that the terminal operator is killing the economy of the country because the concessionaire lack infrastructures that could ease traffic gridlock and congestion at the port.
Meanwhile some of the drivers have also pointed accusing fingers at the Nigeria Navy alleging that money change hands with the security agency’s personnel.
According to them, the Navy personnel are given N2000 before they can access the port.
"For us to go back to work the navy must stop to divert the vehicles and they should allow all trucks to stay on a single line".
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