By the end of February this year, the electronic call-up system for trucks operating in Lagos ports would have been in operation for five years, having been introduced in February 2021.
The contract was given to Messrs Truck Transit Park (TTP) Limited, to electronically manage the movement of trucks into and out of Lagos Port Complex and Tin Can Island Port.
No sooner than the contract was signed, the operators; TTP immediately came up with a novel application called ‘eto’, an obvious adaptation of the Yoruba word for orderliness!
The eto was designed to eliminate human-to-human interface in truck scheduling for loading, a clear and significant departure from the usual manual practice in the ports.
There is no doubt that the implementation of “eto” has yielded positive results, including a notable decrease in traffic congestion and a reduction in haulage costs.
As the new system took roots, those who benefitted from the age-long process of manual truck scheduling re-strategised. Soon, challenges started rearing their heads. Issues such as middlemen engaging in ticket racketeering, selling access slots at exorbitant prices, and the persistence of corrupt practices among enforcement officials undermined the system’s efficiency.
Yes, the electronic call up was a revolution. It changed the traffic management landscape of Apapa. No longer do we have articulated vehicles perpetually on queue on the approaches to the two ports in Apapa.
However, over the years, it has become manifest that the handlers of eto, that is, Messrs Truck Transit Park (TTP) Limited have not done enough to make the system seamless and devoid of abuses. This has necessitated the calls in some quarters for an overhaul.
The call for an overall is not misplaced, it is also a confirmation of the fact that Messrs TTP has not done well to sustain the tempo it started with and allowing the challenges to overwhelm it. If eto had worked well (or is working well), there ought not to be any truck on the approaches to Apapa and Tin Can ports.
There is no doubt that there is a gross abuse of the ticketing and payment system, as well as the excesses of personnel of government agencies who have turned their assignments to a lucrative business of extortion. They have been joined by some non-state actors and a plethora of transport union officials, some of which never existed prior to the introduction of electronic call up system.
The electronic call up system is an IT-driven initiative, which requires regular upgrade. Apart from promises to upgrade, this newspaper is yet to see or hear from stakeholders that the eto is a top-of-the -range app.
All of the above have collectively and systematically made a mess of the electronic call-up system. This is certainly not the intent of Messrs Truck Transit Park Limited, which had committed its funds to the project, and had hoped that, at the end of the five year contract, it would be given the go-ahead to continue.
We recall that at the onset, eto was rested on five pillars, which were supposed to hold the operations of the electronic call up via the use of eto app.
Trucks are expected to be called upon using the Eto electronic call-up system before they could gain access into the ports. Therefore, all trucks and their owners are expected to download the Eto App and sign-up in order to become part of the new system. But, these days, we hear of compromise of the use of the app
We equally recall that the onset, the then-MD of the NPA; Hadiza Bala Usman had said categorically that: eto and scheduling of trucks would be done transparently on a first-come-first-served basis. This did not happen.
Under the electronic call-up system, trucks are expected to stay at designated parks; and to achieve this, some truck parks were selected. This means that, under the e-call up system, trucks that are not parked within the approved parks would no longer gain access into Lagos ports to pick cargo. This is hardly the case.
Perhaps, the greatest pain being faced by truckers is the violation of the official rate of N10,000 payment for the services, as promised by the NPA. This fee is for utilising the eto app and to park in the truck park. The download of the App is free and truckers are only expected to make payment when they want to exit the park. But, various fees far in excess of the statutory N10,000 is being collected. This is in addition to extortion by state and non-state actors.
These obstacles highlighted the necessity for continuous oversight, infrastructure enhancement, and stringent enforcement to maintain the system’s integrity. They do not signpost the need for the sack of Messrs TTP or the scrapping of the e-call –up.
Understandably, the e call up operators have also admitted these challenges and have also promised to up the game, even as they accused unnamed individuals of frustrating the system.
By and large, the eto has recorded major gains in port operations. It has reduced traffic gridlock, it has slashed haulage costs by about 65%, and engendered a significantly faster truck turnaround times, which used to be weeks. Now trucks turn-around time is about two days.
Similarly, whatever the flaws may be, the electronic call –up system has enhanced data integrity with unique truck identities (e-tags) and transaction numbers, thus preventing fraud and misuse. Added to this is the enhancement of port access and efficiency, which ultimately support Nigeria’s trade facilitation goals.
All these may be eroded, if and when Messrs Truck Transit Park Limited is sacked by the Nigerian Ports Authority.
But by and large, the electronic call up has been a revolution. However, both the NPA and the operators of the eto should go back to the drawing board and re-strategize.
On its part, the NPA should work with Messrs TTP about upscale the technology behind the eto call-up system. This is certainly the way to go.
