Give E-Call Up System A Chance, Shippers’ Council Boss Pleads

The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Mr Hassan Bello, on Friday urged users of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) electronic-call up system for trucks to give the system a chance.

Bello made the appeal while speaking with journalists on the sidelines of the meeting with executives and members of Barge Operators Association of Nigeria (BOAN) in Lagos.

“I am happy about the recently introduced e-call-up system for trucks by the NPA that is actually working.

“I call on observers, analysts and users to give it a chance; they should cooperate with the NPA by adopting the e-call-up system and see our roads cleared,” he said.

Bello noted that some people said they saw trucks everywhere, but they should understand that the day they failed to see trucks in Apapa, then the country would be in trouble.

“Trucks must be there, what we want is orderliness in the port. Stakeholders need to know that the e-call-up system for trucks is working and will continue to work, and NPA is on top of the situation,” he said.

The shippers’ council boss said the issue of terminal operators and shipping companies not cooperating and aligning with the terms of agreement of the e-call-up system was an issue they were looking into.

On holding bays, he said that the council had met with some shipping companies and examined their facilities, assuring that this would be a continuous operation.

“What people do not understand is that there are always ships in ports operation and these are monumental ships that you see everyday.

“We know all the standards that we have set and they must be kept; substantial compliance with standards set up by the NSC, especially the maintenance of the holding bays, the dwell time of cargo and digitisation of these terminals.

“We are working everyday to ensure that with effective regulatory framework, things will work,” he said.

Recall that the NPA e-call-up system called ‘Eto’ took effect on Feb. 27, aimed at finding a permanent solution to the problem of truck congestion around Apapa and its environs.