Oluyinka Onigbinde
Messrs Trucks Transit Parks (TTP) Limited, the firm handling the electronic call-up system for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has alleged that the call for the unbundling of the electronic call-up system by some group of truckers is borne out of selfishness and not because they really want to solve the problem.
This is even as the company alleged that some truckers have been demanding for the unbundling of the Eto e-call-up system because the company refused to grant their request to collect five percent share of every revenue collected on the e-call-up system.
Addressing journalists in Lagos on Monday during a media briefing to mark the one-year anniversary of the e-call-up system at the Lillypond Transit Park, Managing Director of the TTP, Mr. Jama Onwubuariri said some truckers’ association have been demanding for the unbundling of the eto e-call-up system because the company refused to grant their request to collect five percent share from every revenue collected.
He however said those calling for the unbundling are in the minority and do not enjoy the support of other truckers’ union.
According to the TTP MD: “We are not averse to solutions that can help ease traffic along the ports access roads. The challenge however is that most of the unions that have come to us to introduce a competitor app, have done that because of selfish interest, not because they want to solve the traffic problem.
“One of such unions came to us, asking for a five percent share in revenue that we collect on the e-call-up system.
“The union said the five percent will be a charge that they will be collecting for collaborating with us. We rejected such arrangement because that will mean what truckers will be paying for will be increased by five percent.
“So, because of this situation, some truckers started calling for the unbundling of the Eto call-up system. They are however in the minority and don’t enjoy the support of other truckers’ union ”
Speaking on the partnership with seaport terminal operators, the TTP MD said the company recently implemented a terminal request procedure to know the number of containers that are expected at each port terminals on a daily basis.
“We recently implemented a terminal request procedure that ensures that the port terminals provide us electronically with the number of containers, both export and empties, that they are expecting at their terminals from the shipping lines”, he said.
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“NPA traffic managers are expected to update the Eto app with that information and that will be the basis for releasing trucks from the various pre-gate to the ports.
“By following this process, we can match what the port terminals are expecting and what they can process with the number of trucks that are sent to the streets,” Mr. Onwubuariri stated.
On achievement of the Eto call-up system in the last one year, the TTP MD explained that, the deployment of eto in the last 12 months has led to significant reduction in extortion along the ports access roads.
He said the initiative has also led to reduction in cargo haulage cost and improved orderliness around Apapa. He added that with eto introduction, economic and recreational activities have slowly returned to Apapa.
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