Few days into the introduction of call-up system by the Nigerian Navy to ase the traffic in and out of Apapa ports, the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has called for collaboration between the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the terminal operators and the Nigerian Navy to ensure a smooth implementation of the system.
The Vice Chairman, Dry Cargo section of NARTO, Alhaji, Abdul Inuwa, who disclosed this to Shipping Position Daily last week in Lagos, also charged the Navy to take into considerations truckers who are coming into Lagos from outside the state, even as he lauded the move by the Navy.
Alhaji Inuwa also said that with the introduction of the call-up system, the lost glory of Apapa will gradually come back as people can freely move in and out without fear of traffic.
“I must also commend the effort of the Nigerian Navy on this call-up card; they have done a wonderful work. Some people think it cannot work but today people are seeing that it has come to stay. It is a good and welcomed idea but there is something I want to draw the attention of the general public more especially, NPA and terminal operators”
“The Navy has come with a good idea but they don’t know that most of the drivers that they are calling are coming from other states which they don’t have a representative so those ones are trapped except if they call the attention of our association. The call up that the Navy has prepared as I see everybody can go and say that I need call up, write down your truck number, go to the café and they will sign it and i go. But it is the terminal operator who will say the person they want or not. So this is the area that I want the NPA, terminal operators and Navy to have a good understanding, so that these things will move forward”, he stated.
According to him, “now the glory of Apapa is coming back gradually, people are freely moving in and out of Apapa, other road users who are always in the habit of abusing truck owners and their drivers all those things have stopped”.
He however explained that, “it is the responsibility of the terminal operator to issue call up system as requested by the consignee through his clearing agent before passing it to NPA and the trucker.
He also said that for containerized cargoes the Terminal Delivery Order (TDO) serves as the call-up cards.
He explained further that: “Even NPA are not the one to bring call-up system. For instance for those trucks that are carrying bulk cargo, the terminals that they are operating issues call up as requested by the consignee through his clearing agent. After the terminal operator has prepared the call up, they will now pass it to NPA to allow the trucks to access the ports and copy to truckers to bring in their trucks that are listed in the call up.
“Then for the containerized sector especially for those ones carrying containers there is what we call Terminal Delivering Order (TDO) which has been prepared by the shipping company and the terminal operator where the consignment is. That TDO serves as a call up, they will lead you to where the cargo is when you come with a valid TDO you will be allowed to go into the ports and pick your cargo.”
Now you said that trucks coming to pick goods for exports, before the trucks come they are supposed to have all the customs documents to ensure that everything is complete. With that you will asked to go and offload”.
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