Even as the Task Team created by the Federal Government to clear the roads and bridges leading to Apapa of all articulated vehicles is battling with its assignment, truck owners have accused the Government of double standards in the application of the order.
The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO) told Shipping Position Daily that the directive was selective; hence it is bound to fail.
The association’s Chairman; Chief Remi Ogungbemi, argued last week that the directive should have been for all trucks to vacate the roads, so that the officials can freely control the traffic. He lamented that some categories of trucks are being treated differently.
A copy of the directive and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which was obtained by our correspondent revealed that, trucks belonging to some companies were exempted from the order.
According to the directive, trucks belonging to Dangote, BUA, Flour Mill Nigeria Limited, and Honeywell, as well as sided trucks, reefers, silos, fish trucks and flatbed trucks “approaching port gate are to be given priority access”.
The same exemption and express passage is being given to all export-container carrying trucks, and containers laden with perishable items; they permitted to “proceed directly to the port for services and delivery”.
Reacting to the discretion, the AMARTO boss said: “The selective nature of the directive is the cause of the problem; the directive shouldn’t have been selective. You said Dangote should go, Arewa should go BUA should go, Flour Mill should go in, the directive should have been total, let all the trucks leave the road so that they can regulate. But since they are being selective, that is why they are not getting it right”
Chief Ogungbemi questioned the rationale behind the directive asking some trucks to vacate the roads while others were not asked to leave the roads.
He however advised the committee to review the directive in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority.
“Others now ask: how come they allowed other trucks to go and others won’t be allowed to go, that is why the directive is not working and we are all using the same road and going to the same port. The way forward is that the committee should change their strategy; they should work with the NPA so that they should redirect the directive by pronouncing that all the trucks should leave the roads”, he advised.
“If all the trucks leave the road, then they will now start regulating the movement of the trucks into the ports, so that it will be first come, first serve”, he maintained.
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