NARTO Charges NPA, Shippers Council On Apapa Traffic Gridlock

 The National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) has charged the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) to prevail on shipping companies and terminal operators to provide holding bays for trucks.
The National Vice Chairman, Dry Cargo, NARTO, Alhaji Abdulllahi Inuwa, said this during an interview with Shipping Position Daily.
Speaking during the interview, the NARTO chieftain said that most of the trucks that are parked on the road are either going to drop empty containers or export containers in the ports.
He stated that, "NPA should do the needful and compel shipping companies to provide holding bays for the returns of their empty containers and only bring them for shipment on request from the holding bay outside the port in batches. They should not divert the general public’s attention by saying they want to evacuate 6,000 trucks from Apapa -Wharf Road"
"Those trucks parked on line are not just there to park, the trucks are either going to drop empty container or export containers inside the ports, then which trucks do they want to evacuate".
He also emphasised the need for both the NPA and the NSC to set up a task force to ensure that shipping companies and terminal operators have enough holding bays for trucks.
"NPA and NSC should set up a task force now on the shipping companies and terminal operators that have insufficient cargo handling equipment and constant server break down" ,he advised.
He also blamed the two agencies for the traffic gridlock experienced in Apapa.
"NSC and NPA are to be blamed for this terrible situation because they allow the shipping companies to manipulate their ways and abandon their holding bays where empty containers can park"
"Another problem is greed because in other to make more profit, they are cutting down cost and they failed to procure proper cargo handling equipments and holding bay amongst others"
"The gridlock on the road is also coupled with the state of bad roads. Now some security agents stationed  in some strategic area from Berger yard ,Trinity down to Coconut by collecting between N5,000 to N10,000 from truck drivers for them to drive against traffic to Tin can. Which always result to total blockage of the road. These are the areas NPA and NSC need to give attention to" he concluded.