Truckers operating at Lagos ports have raised alarm over the Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) implementation of a direct evacuation window, which they argue is circumventing the electronic call-up system (Eto) and creating significant inefficiencies and unfair practices. This is even as they claimed that up to 70% of trucks registered on the Eto platform are fake, leading to significant delays and unfair practices in the call-up process.
Recall that Truck Transit Parks (TTP) Limited, operators of the electronic call-up system at Lagos port had unveiled plans to partner with the NPA in deploying E-tag technology to trucks at zero cost, in order to facilitate smoother transport operations in and out of the ports.
According to TTP, this initiative is aimed at addressing challenges associated with non-compliance with standard operating procedures and enhancing the ease of doing business for truckers and stakeholders in the maritime sector.
However, investigations by Shipping Position Daily have revealed that the direct evacuation window provided by NPA originally intended for emergency cargo evacuation from the ports to avoid dollar-denominated demurrage have created a leeway for truckers to bypass the established electronic call-up process.
Truckers who spoke to our correspondent last week alleged that the NPA has implemented a method where trucks, especially those from ENL, can obtain a special code that allows them to circumvent the usual call-up requirements. According to them, this preferential treatment undermines the first-come-first-serve principle and nullifies the intended benefits of the electronic call-up system.
In a chat with the Vice President of Nexus Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP), Mr Rilwan Bello, he highlighted the severe issues with the current system, alleging that over 70 percent of truck identities on the Eto platform are falsified.
Bello said this rampant registration of fake trucks has clogged the system, making it nearly impossible for legitimate truckers to book call-ups and carry out their jobs efficiently. He stated the need for data cleanup on the Eto platform as outdated information, such as records of drivers who no longer work for the registered companies, remains in the system.
As the NPA moves towards implementing the eTag system, Bello called for immediate action to ensure that fake truck identities are purged from the system and eliminating the preferential direct evacuation window in order to restore fairness and efficiency in port operations.
“Look at what the call up has turned to now. They have made a mess of it. So now that they want to start eTag, does it mean that the evacuation they are doing will now stop? There is a call up that NPA releases. Instead of the normal E-Call Up, there is a way they now do it especially for ENL trucks. They will now generate a code for those trucks. So basically, the whole process of going to transit parks and others doesn’t apply to them.
“70% of the trucks that are in Eto’s database are fake. They are the ones creating the whole delay system on their platform. Somebody like me had a job I needed to go and pick at APMT. But I can’t book because a guy has registered about 56 plate numbers. He’s on the queue and will get to the park before me, the real owner.
“Trucks are still suffering. The queue is still there. So it would be a welcome idea. At least it will solve and push away all those illegal trucks in their system. Before now we have always been talking about proxy trucks. Somebody who can carry a Marwa Tricycle plate number and put it on Eto and be using it to buy and book call-ups. Maybe this way the true truckers, the real truckers will be able to book now” Bello said.
On his part, the National Secretary of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Bala Muhammed explained that the direct evacuation window, meant for special consignments, has been misused by individuals selling call-ups on the black market at exorbitant prices.
This, according to Muhammed, has led to disorder, as trucks crowd the port access roads to obtain these call-ups, undermining the e-Call Up system’s purpose. He noted that agents reportedly withdraw Terminal Delivery Orders (TDOs) from those following due process, reallocating them to those with direct call-ups while rendering legitimate tickets useless.
Muhammed called on the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to halt the use of direct evacuation windows for truckers. He warned that if the current system continues, it will encourage more truckers to bypass the e-Call Up system, leading to widespread traffic chaos and inefficiency.
While lauding the e-Tag technology initiative, the AMATO Scribe noted that it will prevent racketeering and the use of multiple identities for a single truck, ensuring each truck has only one identity. He said this technology will eliminate the misuse of black market call-ups and enforce stricter adherence to the e-Call Up system.
“We complained to the management of Nigeria Port Authority and the Port Project Implementation Committee in the person of Mr. Charles Okaga who is the Port Manager to take a stiff measure against it. This direct evacuation is a potential recipe for the return of traffic anarchy in the Apapa corridor as it had been before TTP. This is because anybody that purchases this call-up as high as N150k and above, will just come to the port without being invited.
“So we are calling on the management of the Nigerian Port Authority as a matter of urgency to suspend the issues of these direct evacuation call ups. Let everyone follow the due process. Yes, e-Tag technology is a measure against racketeering and those using multiple identities. You see, a single truck may have about five plate numbers. But with e-Tag, there’s no way your truck has that. Only one identity will be available for a truck to use” Muhammed concluded.
