Mr Rilwan Bello is the Vice Chairman of the recently-formed National Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP). In this interview with Oluyinka Onigbinde, he talks about the new association, the challenges of trucking business in Lagos, and the Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Association (COMTUA)
What is NAMTOP all about?
NAMTOP is an acronym which means National Association of Maritime Transport Operators. NAMTOP was formed on 20th January, 2023. About 19 unions and associations under the maritime trucking sector came together and we all agreed.
You mean we have about 19 associations of maritime truckers groups?
Yes, at least we have 19 well-known maritime truck associations. This is because we actually know ourselves and we agreed to have a unified body. This is necessary because of the challenges we are facing in the industry. It is no more news that the trucking industry is in danger with the way area boys and miscreants see trucks as an avenue to make money. We have decided that we need to stop this; that is why we have decided to come together. We need to revive back the whole glory of the trucking maritime ecosystem. So we went to the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation. We all agreed and we came up with a communiqué that, for the interest and survival of the business we are all adopting this name NAMTOP which is the National Association of Maritime Transport Operators. When you look out there, every time there is a problem where an area boy is attacking our drivers while they are driving, even causing injuries on our drivers and motorists as well, most of these guys get away with it.
Most stakeholders have a perception that the Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Association (COMTUA) is like the umbrella body for all maritime truck associations. So how did NAMTOP came into being then?
COMTUA came into existence back then when the Presidential Task Force was in charge of managing the traffic. That pretty much came on board because the Federal Government was concerned about the sanity around the port axis. That is when COMTUA came into being. You know when there is a government agency that is saddled with a responsibility, there has to be some sort of union or association that would probably talk and negotiate with them on terms that will favour members. That is why COMTUA came on board. The moment the Task Force was dissolved; by right, COMTUA should cease to exist. This is because COMTUA was just a council of unions and associations in the maritime industry because of that particular purpose which is to mitigate with the Presidential Task Force that was set up then. Right now, COMTUA is gone. But we have some of our members that feel it is still of essence to use the COMTUA platform to cause problem and that is why COMTUA is still existing. But with the floating of NAMTOP, that will come to an end.
Was there any agreement by maritime truck associations at one point or the other for COMTUA to be formed?
The advantage we have with NAMTOP now as I said earlier is that, to be specific we are 19 unions that came together. But as at then, it was just a few of these associations that came together. As at that time, I think there were about seven that formed COMTUA. The only problem was that it was not written that immediately the Presidential Task Force ceased to exist, COMTUA must also cease to exist. There was no timeline for the period at which COMTUA should exist. Right now, we all know that they are faced with so many challenges. From what we see, is that the person that is running the affairs of COMTUA has some financial mismanagement and high-handedness. I believe association should not be about you alone as the head. It should be about others. In fact, when you are in a position of leadership, you serve others. So NAMTOP won’t be like that because we have proper structure. We have exco members, the board, BoTs and the regional heads. What we have done is in line with the platform at which ETO exist. ETO is existing based on parks and so we are also going to start operating based on different parks around the port axis and even outside of the port axis. This is because we know that all trucks must come from a park. So you have to identify your truck to a particular park. When you are registered with that park, then automatically you can become a member of NAMTOP. We are out to protect the interests of genuine truckers. So we want to remove the wheat from the chaff now.
There are allegations and insinuations by COMTUA about meddlesomeness and extortion by some Lagos State Government officials in the issue of truck associations. How will you react to this?
I believe that is coming from the point of blackmail. We all know the player and pawn person behind those allegations and insinuations. Sometimes around January this year, we went to Lagos state government, because as it is, Lagos state controls the sanity of the business within the state. So we went to them and we told them we are facing a difficult time doing our legitimate business. It’s an aberration that we are in a mega city and we are having this kind of challenges. We are not in the 1970s. These guys beating and maltreating our drivers and spoiling our properties are identifiable. They should go after them. The Lagos state called the management of the NURTW, they all met with us and right there and they were told that we are not commuter buses, but truck owners and by rights they don’t have any right to meddle in our business. So we took it a step further that we will meet with the Special Adviser to the Governor who agreed that as NAMTOP we should be one body. Guess what? This same blackmailer came up with another letterhead of NAMTOP just to cause division. When we formed NAMTOP, we agreed that there should be an acting Chairman and a Secretary. Anytime we are having a meeting that has to do with NAMTOP, the acting Chairman and the Secretary must be there to form a quorum. When we put up our interim Exco team and sent to Lagos state, we were surprised that this same person that is trying to cause the division and who is the head of COMTUA went and sent in another Exco list, using the name of NAMTOP. Then when we went for a meeting, I was asking how do you form quorum when you don’t have the acting Chairman and the Secretary with you? This is false. We told the Lagos state officials that they shouldn’t even accept that letter in the first place. Going by all justification, they knew who is on the right path. This is because when all the 19 unions met, we agreed that before we can take another step further, we should have an acting Chairman just for the purpose of mediating and making sure all interests are at stake and then a Secretary. But they want to cause division because he still wants to be the President of NAMTOP. How can you be the President of COMTUA and you still want to be the President of NAMTOP. He said if he doesn’t become the President then he is pulling out. In the interest of our survival in this business, how can somebody be playing with such in the industry? This is the whole truth.
The Chairman of COMTUA has alleged that the former leader of AMATO does not have a truck. Are you aware of all these? Let’s hear the truth.
When you point one finger to someone, the rest of the four is pointing to you. He doesn’t have a truck as well. He is a manager. That is why I kept using the word “genuine truck owners”. We know ourselves. This same person we were talking about came on board during the time of “Apapa Pass Yahoo” where people were just making money off truckers and that is where their interest lies. That is why we genuine truck owners have to come up saying enough is enough, we are getting our business back. When we met with the NURTW team and the officials of Lagos State, so that they could back off our business, they should stop killing our drivers. He was one of the people they pointed to as coming to meet them in collaboration and we know. Baba Remi (AMATO Chairman) is our father in the industry. He paved way for some of us and it is his doctrine we are following. I will tell you that way back, I have listened to Baba Remi on National TV proposing that some people are horizontal thinkers. Horizontal thinkers mean people who from nowhere envision something which will become the solution. That is why TTP came on board today. And guess what? TTP won’t be successful as we speak today if enforcement wasn’t there; that is enforcement from LASTMA and Police. That is why I keep saying today that the foundation TTP laid is no more there.
How true is it that some of you are on the payroll of TTP?
That is a lie. I mentioned something about enlightenment. So many times we have organized enlightenment programme for drivers. You know most of these drivers are not educated, you need to keep educating them on why they need to do this and that. TTP just have the database. They don’t know these drivers and how to communicate with them in the language they understand. That is why they put up a committee that would advise them. They are just performing advisory functions. So it is not that they are on a payroll, but they are an advisory committee that will mediate between what the drivers are facing, what truck owners want and the position of TTP as the body that regulates truck movement into the ports.
How many days does it take a truck to access the port, pick up a container and leave?
You cannot give a precise number of days or give a definite timeline. This is because it still depends on the condition of the road. The activities between Ijora Olopa to the port gate determine the number of days. For example, if a truck uses two days from Ijora Olopa to get to the port, don’t forget that the process is that you need to be in a transit park, then you will be ejected out to a pre-gate. This process is being monitored with the road vehicular activities. You will not be ejected out from the pre-gate if the road is still in a mess. This doesn’t mean that trucks are just parking on the road. It means that there are too many construction going on. Look at Marine Bridge, the LASTMA officials are really trying, because to be honest, when I came back and I saw how they were able to manage these trucks in a particular manner that the gridlock is no more there. So I give it to them. But give or take, I will say it will take about four to five days.
Is NAMTOP in support of unbundling ETO just like COMTUA has been calling for it before now?
We are not in support of unbundling ETO. But ETO needs to be freed from the confines of NPA. NPA decides everything for ETO at the detriment of what the truck owners want. That is why I keep telling TTP that if they are true to their word about making sure that there is free flow of truck movement into the port, then the charges are too much. I told the MD of NPA that by right, ETO should not be charging more than N5,000 to get into the port as against what they are charging truckers now.
How much are they charging?
They are charging an average of N15,000 to N20,000 depending on if you are going in as flatbed, returning empty containers and all. They came up with another shocking news. Let’s say this is the call-up I made to go into the port. For whatever reason, if my truck breaks down on the road and I don’t use my call-up within a time frame, that call-up is gone and wasted. Then I ask them, what is the value you are rendering? If I go on your platform, do my call-up, follow all the procedure, and in the process my truck develops a problem and I can’t get to the port, there should be some sort of arrangement on your platform where I would hold my call-up so that it doesn’t disturb the sequencing on your platform. Not to forfeit my ticket that I’ve paid over N20,000 for. So what value are you rendering to me? These are the acts of TTP we are going to challenge with NAMTOP and we will make sure the money is reduced to a reasonable amount.
Why has it taken NAMTOP so long since it was formed in January and we are in July and we are just hearing about it?
We want to start on a good note and we want to make sure all our structures are in place. We are having a solid structure because we know one of the major challenges we have in the trucking industry currently is the issue of non-state actors interfering in our business. We are sure that once we get them off our back, our business will at least be stable. Right now, my truck had issues in Alakija and the area boys were asking for N50,000, from a job of N150,000. You see that is ridiculous and trust me, nobody can do anything except the government. That is why we need government intervention and that is why we are in talks with Lagos State Government. Lagos State wants to recognize a unified body. We want to have zonal areas. We know where the warehouses and manufacturing companies are, we know where we take most of our cargoes to. So we want to have zonal heads at these different points, so that when there are issues concerning our members, they will be swift to address them.
What other plans does NAMPTOP have for its members?
It is not only about truck owners. It is also about people that work for us that is, the drivers. We want to have a database for our drivers because we see what is happening on our road where an area boys hung on to the truck, distracted the driver and the driver swerves his steering and hit a policeman who was on the bike. We didn’t hear anything. The law could not identify that area boy that was the cause of the accident. But the one that happened at Ojuelegba where the bridge is a bit sloppy, and when there is traffic at the bottom of the bridge before the truck ascends, the way the gear is being selected, sometimes most of these truck jerks and that is why some of these containers fall off. We see that drivers and owners are now paying the price. In fact, I think Lagos State would start jailing truck owners and drivers. The environment is too volatile for our drivers and we want peace. If not, we know what we can do with the area boys, but we don’t want to turn it into a jungle. So that’s why we need some sort of database for our drivers, so that we can identify them and retrain them, so that the road is safer for other road users. The association is a contact point for all truckers. We would mediate with relevant authorities, shipping companies, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, basically just to protect the interests of genuine and hybrid truckers within Nigeria.
