Articulated Vehicle Drivers Lament Delays In Dropping Off Empty Containers

Some articulated vehicle drivers on Sunday regreted the delays in dropping off empty containers at the Lagos Ports, saying that it was now retarding their business.
The drivers, who spoke in Lagos, said the provision of more spaces by the Port’s Terminal Operators would, however, improve the situation.
Emeka Okoroafor, who drives a 40-ft container vehicle, said that the situation was sapping into the daily incomes of his colleagues who, according to him, are worst hit.
“I have been parading the whole of the terminals in Apapa with this empty container for a week now, while looking for a terminal to drop it in.
“It is not good at all as a family man and a driver; my earnings depend on the number of trips I am able to make, so the situation where I will be delayed in dropping off an empty container for days is tormenting,’’ he said.
Okoroafor appealed to the Federal Government to prevail on the terminal operators to make provision for more spaces in their terminals, in order to stem the trend.
Mr Godwin Odita, a 20-year-old articulated vehicle driver, said that the delay in dropping off containers was also partly responsible for the perennial traffic problems around the ports.
He said that the situation did not make much sense of the much-promoted Ease of Doing Business template of the Federal Government.
“If we really want to promote business in the sector, in order to attract more investment, there is need to get the infrastructure up and running.
“But in our own case, the regulatory bodies have gone to sleep, leaving all and sundry to do as they wished. That is the bane of this industry.
“This container has been on my truck since Wednesday and everywhere I go, they say they are not accepting CMA brand of containers in their terminals.
“I had to work throughout the public holiday in order to find where to drop it, to enable me to go for another one,’’ Odita said.
Mr Remi Ogundemi, Chairman, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), has been appealing to the authorities for the construction of Truck Holding Bays, to alleviate the Apapa -traffic logjam.