The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has urged the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) to translate the new application of the electronic call up system known as “eto” to different languages, stating that this will help many of the app users to understand what the e-call up means.
Speaking to our correspondent, the President of the Association, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, while reacting to the issues of fake e-call up generated by truck drivers, stated that many of the users of the eto app are semi-illiterate who don’t understand how to operate the app, while calling on the NPA to translate the application to the three major languages in the country.
Ogunojemite noted that proper sensitization will go a long way in making the e- call up a success. The APFFLON boss noted that the e- call may not the final solution to the issue of port congestion in the port, stating that there is need to fix dilapidated port infrastructure.
He added that there are other macro factors that may bedevil the e- call up system and that when these factors are resolved, then Nigeria can boast of being part of the comity of maritime nations.
According to him, “NPA needs to do more on sensitization, many of the truck drivers have not even visited the eto site, because they don’t understand, NPA needs to understand that many of those that will be using the app are semi illiterates
“I would love a situation that they will make the application to be in such a way that we will have other languages, like Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, if there is sensitization that will come in different languages, many of these people will understand, and this will even forestall the issue of fake e- call up, because many of them don’t really understand what the e-call up is all about,
They should also build synergy with FRSC and look for all avenue to sensitize these people, some of them will just drive straight to the port, believing they can have access to the port that’s because they are yet to even understand.
“Don’t forget e-call up will not be the permanent solution to the port congestion, other macro factors are still there such as infrastructure, single window, and other perennial problems, so the e-call up alone cannot solve the problem, it’s just a stepping stone, when all these bottlenecks are resolved, this will help us to be among the comity of maritime nations” he said.
Discussion about this post