The National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has alleged that the Nigerian Navy deliberately frustrated the manual call-up system for articulated trucks which was introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily in Lagos last week, Chairman of Dry Cargo Section of NARTO, Alhaji Innua Mohammed alleged that the garages were registered by Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Apapa Gridlock, Commodore Okon Eyo.
Innua said that at the wake of the manual call-up system introduced by the NPA, the truckers had submitted a list of 33 existing and functional truck parks and garages from where the scheme can be operated.
He however alleged that out of the blues, the truckers were informed that there are 200 garages which he alleged as not existing. The garages according to him, were subsequently used to generate fake call up for trucks which eventually frustra-ted the manual call up system introduced by NPA.
The NARTO Chairman stated that: "We have had meeting with the out gone Chairman of the task force which is Commodore Okon Eyo, we all agreed that the only solution is to send all the trucks to their various garages. If you don't have a garage then you can go to any commercial park from where you can be able to generate call up, when your call up is put then you can move freely"
"For the first three weeks, it was successful, but because of the tight schedule, we were able to submit 33 garages to the chairman of the task force in the hope of getting other garages that are functional towards Ogere area of Ogun state, so that they can key them into the system"
"But unfortunately, before we knew it, we heard there were about 200 garages that have been approved by the task force Chairman, where are these 200 garages? They are ghost garages. This was how they bastardized the process and the trucks had to come back on the roads"
"Some officers used their positions as being close to other high ranked people and got the approval, they started generating call up and extorting money from truckers, this is why you see the long queue of trucks on the road" he said
Innua expressed fears over the workability of the electronic call up system proposed by the NPA to take off in August 2019.
He said, "if the manual has failed, I don't see how the electronic call up system can work".
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