In the first part of this interview with the President of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO); Chief Oluremi Ogungbemi, our Assistant Editor; Oluyinka Onigbinde engages the veteran trucker on issues regarding haulage business in the ports.
Sometimes officials even arrest a moving truck and tag it ‘abandoned’
The money that we are supposed to use to maintain our trucks are being taken away by task forces
How will you describe the current state of ports’ access roads and truck management?
The best thing that has ever happened to port operation is the introduction of the automation system of passing trucks. What do I mean? If not for the automation, it would have been a mess because the environment will be jam-packed and untidy. For example, a place or a road that is supposed not to accommodate more than 10,000 trucks. They will say about 20,000 or more trucks will be assembled at the same time. And if you don’t use technology to regulate the system, they are bound to cause commotion and collision. So, I would say, the introduction of technology has helped to address the situation. Also, I believe that no matter how good any system is, there is always room for improvement. Anything you are doing, no matter how good it is, if you don’t improve on it, it will become obsolete.
So, the automation system that we started using in 2021 is due for overhauling. People have begun to get rid of the system in such a way that they have gotten ways on how to manipulate it. For example, when GSM telephone was introduced, they did print recharge cards which we normally scratched. And if you do not know how to scratch the card well and you scratch out any figure, you will not be able to use the airtime and the paper becomes wasted. Then when the people discovered that people have started to complain that whenever they scratch a card, it becomes invalid, they now change the system of printing out paper of which you don’t need to scratch any longer today. If you load the airtime and you throw it on the ground, if another person picks it to load it, it won’t go through because the technology will tell you that the airtime has been loaded by another subscriber. That is technology. And even now, I cannot even remember the last time I bought the paper, because I can recharge directly from my phone. That is the improvement we are expecting in admitting trucks into the port.
In your general view, how will you assess the Trucks Transit Park’s E-Call up system?
Like I said earlier, that it is one of the best things that have ever happened to port operations to aid the movement of trucks entering into all the terminals, because without this system, the port corridor would have been messed up. But now, we need to inject another technology into the system to improve what is on ground.
You agree that the E-Call up system is manipulated. Some have alleged that it is been manipulated by the NPA security as well as other actors. What is your take on this? Can you share more about the manipulation of the Eto system?
When I say it is being manipulated, this is what I mean. In a situation whereby somebody that did not even book for Eto is able to buy at a certain amount; which means some people are generating tickets and selling them illegally. We call it racketeering. So I don’t know if NPA Security or TTP staff are involved in this. All I know is that there are racketeers that are manipulating the system. They should make the system in such a way that it will be very difficult for people to manipulate. You see, automation is just like a door. When there is an automated door into an office, they have programmed their fingers into the system of the door. If you put your finger as a staff, the door will open for you. But if an outsider puts his finger; that is not programmed, the door will not open.
How will you assess the level of your engagement with TTP?
The best step in every system is improvement. They have made me understand severally that even though they have the idea on how to improve on it, if NPA did not give them a go ahead, they cannot do it. They know what they can do, no matter how intelligent they are, no matter how resilient they are, if they have not got a go ahead from the NPA, then they will not do it. That is the issue.
How will you react to the indiscriminate arrests and extortion of some of your members or truck drivers?
There are occasions where truckers are being arrested indiscriminately. If you could recall, about three months ago, we made up our mind to withdraw our services because of these indiscriminate arrests and extortion of our truck drivers. It was the intervention of the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy through the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council that was able to save the situation. Despite this intervention, such arrests still go on, but it has reduced drastically. Most of these arrests are being perpetrated by officers, especially in a government transport committee on abandoned vehicles. The government has a very good intention for setting up this committee to eradicate abandoned vehicles on the roads, which are creating nuisance or have become a hideout for criminals; but they are not doing that. Sometimes they even arrest a moving truck and tag it ‘abandoned’. However, these indiscriminate arrests have reduced but last week, some trucks were arrested and we called on the authorities and the trucks were released immediately.
We have seen in recent times the proliferation of task forces. How has the proliferation of affected you in recent times?
Well, most of these task forces are like a clog in the wheel of our progress. They have turned us into a cash cow where they can always get money. We would not relax and that is one of the reasons we have collaborated with the Maritime workers and other maritime transport associations. We are working on how we can collectively checkmate the activities of these proliferation of tax forces and these unscrupulous elements that are terrorizing our people, extorting money from our drivers, beating up our drivers and collecting their money. At times, when the truck is coming out of the port, you will see them in 20s bombarding the drivers. We will not allow this. We must change the tides. So arrangements are on ground to put our boys that will be monitoring the activities of these people.
How many task forces do we have?
I don’t know the exact number. Sometimes they will tell you they have disbanded one, in few weeks, you will see some other ones spring up again. That is what we constantly face.
On the average, can you put a cost to how much truckers are losing on the business area in terms of transport?
I may not have the figures, I don’t have the statistics, but it is something that is very clear and glaring. In as much as you are seeing most of our trucks in a dilapidated state, that is a sign for you to know that truckers are being extorted more than necessary. Because the money they are supposed to use to maintain these trucks are being taken away directly or indirectly.
Do you think the Lagos state government is complicit in this chaotic situation?
I wouldn’t say so, but if they are complicit, the Permanent Secretary will not order release of a truck from a committee under Lagos state government. It is not bad to set up a committee but whenever they are setting up a committee, they should do the right thing. That is why we always speak up, whenever any issue comes up, we let the authorities concerned know about what is happening.
We have also heard reports of that some powerful truckers are given preferential treatment in accessing the ports. What are your thoughts on this?
As I’m aware in port operations, there are some situations whereby they give concession to some cargo especially the bulk cargo. Then, they call it direct to the ships, especially ship carrying bulk commodities. They require that the trucks go directly to the ship. It is better for them to roll out the large number of trucks that will go and carry those bulk cargo directly to the ship without allowing them to unload it and put it in a shelf. That is double handling. So, it is better, that, let them be collected, and put directly to the ship. They call offload about 70 percent and leave the 30 percent essentially for necessary examination, by which, through that they pay the storage charges and other charges. That is what NPA does then. But as at now, some people may be using that as an excuse to get undeserved preferential treatment to exit or enter the port without due process.
How has AMATO enhanced its members to adapt to the automation process of the port?
Well, it has been our duty from day one. Even this hall has been used severally. When Eto came in, this hall was where we were using for trainings for our members. Eto staff do come here to train them until they all adapted to the automation system. It has always been our responsibility to keep our members abreast of all the latest development in the port automation process.
