As the month of February ended last weekend, the concession agreement for the electronic call- up of trucks in Lagos ports, awarded to Messrs Truck Transit Park (TTP) Limited has officially expired, even as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has not renewed the arrangement.
Efforts to obtain official updates from the NPA on whether the system will continue, have so far been unsuccessful. Our correspondent, however, spoke with a TTP staff who confirmed that there is no update yet regarding the renewal.
The delay has elicited mixed reactions from stakeholders in the ports and logistics sector.
In a discussion with Otunba Babatunde Mukaila, former National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), he expressed skepticism over the effectiveness of the concessionaire, pointing to persistent operational inefficiencies.
According to him, the TTP system has been plagued by unauthorized activities, inflated fees, and mismanagement that undermined its potential to streamline port operations.
He said, “the concessionaire was not proactive in addressing leakages. People with no business in the ports were able to manipulate the system, warehouse containers, and sell access at exorbitant rates. This has distorted the cost of port operations; instead of reducing it. NPA’s decision not to renew the contract could allow a reassessment and an improvement of the system.”
Mukaila also highlighted structural issues with truck access and terminal delivery, noting that trucks often operate outside assigned transactions due to weak enforcement, resulting in congestion and irregularities along the port corridor. He warned that failing to address these gaps could reverse recent gains in traffic management and operational orderliness.
Meanwhile, Mr Simeon Nwonu, Deputy National President of the National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), acknowledged the broader systemic issues within Nigeria’s governance system, suggesting that policy inconsistency often disrupts effective initiatives.
Nwonu pointed to the historical pattern where new systems are introduced, only to be replaced before they reach full potential, leaving stakeholders frustrated.
He drew parallels with previous initiatives in the Nigeria Customs Service sector, noting that, when the Customs ‘B’ Odogwu’ was introduced to replace NICISS 2, many stakeholders experienced delays and inefficiencies that disrupted businesses. Paper orders and cargo processing suffered.
“People lost clients. Now, stakeholders are being asked to adjust yet again to another system. The pattern is the same here with the TTP concession: gains are made, but the system does not allow them to consolidate.”
Nwonu further stressed that, despite these structural challenges, the TTP call-up system had achieved measurable improvements in the Apapa corridor.
“If you observe traffic from the Ijora Bridge down to Wharf Road today, it is significantly better than before. What used to take hours to navigate can now be done more efficiently. The system has brought sanity and predictability to truck movements”, he argued.
However, he warned that abandoning the TTP system could reverse these gains, leading to renewed congestion, extortion, and inefficiencies. Nwonu criticized the tendency for government projects to be influenced by political patronage rather than operational effectiveness. “Often, contracts are awarded not for the purpose of efficiency, but to enrich private pockets. The risk here is that a new concessionaire may not improve operations and may only repeat the mistakes of the past.”
He concluded by urging the NPA to carefully consider the broader implications of its decision. “Renewing the TTP concession is not just about extending a contract; it is about sustaining order in the ports, ensuring smooth cargo flow, and protecting the economy from needless disruption. Policy consistency and institutional support are critical if such systems are to function as intended.”
On the other hand, Mr Muhammed Sanni Bala, General Secretary of the Association of Maritime Truck Operators (AMATO), emphasized the progress achieved under the TTP call-up system, particularly in easing traffic congestion in the Apapa corridor. He warned that failing to renew the concession could jeopardize these gains, leading to gridlocks and inflated costs reminiscent of pre-TTP days.
Bala urged the NPA to not only renew the concession, but also address operational challenges beyond the control of TTP, such as multiple checkpoints, terminal inefficiency, and human interference in the call-up system. He stressed that proper regulation and monitoring could ensure road orderliness, reduce unnecessary costs, and maintain the flow of cargo through Apapa and Tin Can logistics corridors.
He further said while the TTP system is not without challenges, its presence has contributed significantly to the decongestion of the Apapa port axis and improved the overall efficiency of cargo movement.
He called on the NPA to provide clarity on the concession renewal and take steps to strengthen oversight, ensuring that the system continues to deliver benefits to both operators and the wider economy.
