By Joshua Yousouph
Investigations by Shipping Position Daily have revealed that despite the existence of hundreds of approved truck transit parks designed to keep trucks off Lagos port access roads, stakeholders have alleged that many of these facilities are either underutilized, exist largely on paper, or are being bypassed entirely by truck operators, thereby contributing to the persistent traffic congestion around the nation’s busiest seaports.
Checks by Shipping Position Daily show growing concerns among industry operators that the electronic call-up system introduced to restore order on the Apapa and Tin Can port corridors is being undermined by loopholes that allow trucks to gain access to the ports without physically passing through designated transit parks.
Major truck transit parks in Lagos linked to the port access system include the Lilypond Container Terminal in Ijora, which serves as a central pre-gate and staging facility for trucks heading into Apapa and Tin Can Island ports. The facility was integrated into the Electronic Call-Up system to regulate truck movement and reduce congestion along the port corridors.
Other commonly referenced holding and transit points within the Lagos port logistics network include truck parks along the Orile–Ijora axis, Oshodi–Apapa corridor (including Mile 2 axis), and privately operated parks in Kirikiri, Ojo, and Amuwo-Odofin areas, which are used as waiting zones for trucks before being scheduled into the ports.
Additionally, tanker operations are often concentrated around the Marine Bridge underpass holding area, which has been repeatedly mentioned in discussions around tanker movement control within the Apapa logistics corridor.
However, Shipping Position Daily gathered that the Lagos State Government, in collaboration with private operators, has provided seven designated truck parks to support the regulation of tanker movements along the Lekki-Epe corridor.
Recall that the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) introduced the Electronic Truck Call-Up System (ETO) in 2021, requiring trucks to remain in approved parks until they are scheduled to enter the ports. The initiative was aimed at eliminating the notorious gridlock that had crippled economic activities around Apapa for years. Under the arrangement, trucks are expected to pass through approved truck parks and pre-gates before gaining access to the ports.
However, maritime stakeholders claim that the reality on the ground is slightly different from the objectives of the scheme. The allegations come amid renewed efforts by the NPA to tighten compliance with the ETO system. In 2025, the authority deployed Electronic Barrier Systems integrated with the ETO platform to eliminate unauthorized truck diversions and ensure that only trucks with valid call-up tickets gain access to port terminals.
Stakeholders are now calling for a comprehensive audit of all approved truck transit parks and pre-gates operating within the Lagos port ecosystem, including a verification of their capacities, utilization levels, and compliance with operational guidelines.
Speaking with Shipping Position Daily, truck operator and Chieftain of the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), Mr. Seyi Adekanbi alleged that there are now more truck transit parks than are actually required for port operations, yet many remain practically unused.
According to him, while authorities continue to approve new facilities, several of the existing parks receive truck bookings electronically without the trucks physically entering the premises.
“When the transit park system started, only a few parks existed and trucks were properly controlled. Today, there are hundreds of approved parks, but many are not being utilized. Trucks are booked into these facilities on paper, but in reality they never enter them,” he alleged.
Adekanbi further claimed that some facilities approved as transit parks lack the capacity to accommodate the volume of trucks assigned to them, raising questions about the criteria used for their approval.
He alleged that some truck operators merely select a transit park on the electronic platform, obtain the necessary clearance, and proceed towards the ports without ever stopping at the designated location. “The question is not whether transit parks exist. The real question is whether the trucks are actually using them. Many are not,” he stated.
Corroborating concerns about compliance, General Secretary of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Alhaji Bala Muhammad, noted that existing truck parks are generally adequate for current operations, but argued that enforcement failures and abuse of standard operating procedures remain major challenges.
According to him, some truck operators circumvent approved transit parks by obtaining what industry players describe as “direct call-ups,” enabling them to proceed directly to the ports without passing through the designated holding facilities.
He explained that such practices discourage compliance among truckers who spend days waiting in approved transit parks and pre-gates. “When operators see others accessing the ports directly without following the approved process, they naturally begin looking for ways to do the same. That is where the problem starts,” he said.
Muhammad stressed that the issue is no longer a shortage of truck parks but the inability of regulators to ensure strict compliance with established procedures.
“We have enough transit parks. The problem is not infrastructure. The problem is enforcement. If the standard operating procedures are strictly followed, you won’t see trucks littering the port corridors,” he maintained.
