In a bid to reduce the Apapa gridlock and strengthen the E-call up system and confront the emerging challenges, the Marine and Blue Economy minister, Adegboyega Oyetola has set up a committee to review the E-call up system and come up with measures to ensure the current abuse of the system becomes a thing of the past.
This was disclosed in a statement issued by the minister’s spokesman, Ismail Omipidan, on Wednesday morning, in Abuja.
The committee, whose membership is yet unknown is to review the Standard Operating Procedures for Truck Traffic Management along the Lagos port corridor.
Omipidan, who noted that the committee was expected to meet with other critical stakeholders in Lagos on Thursday for the review, quoted the minister as saying that, “every possible abuse of the system by humans should be x-rayed and solutions provided with a view to ensuring that it is abuse-free.”
Although the E-call up system was introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in February 2021 for trucks at the Lagos Ports, which truckers are expected to use to book turns to enter the Ports, recent reports have suggested potential compromises in the functionality of this system.
“I have a number of suggestions on how I believe the system can be strengthened. But I want inputs from the stakeholders. This is why I have set up this committee to interface with the service provider and other stakeholders in the industry to come up with a best way of dealing decisively with the saboteurs,” the minister said.
