– Truckers demand total proscription of hoodlums
– NPA pleads with trucker to shelve strike
Esther Oritse
Lagos — The Lagos Government yesterday banned all forms of extortion and toll collections from trucks operating in streets of Lagos just as truckers have demanded the proscription of activities of hoodlums in the state.
Speaking at an emergency meeting with truckers yesterday at the Headquarters of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, Hon. Sola Giwa, Special Assistant to the Governor of Lagos, said that the directive takes immediate effect warning that anybody caught collecting toll will be arrested and anybody that comes to bail any arrested hoodlum will also be arrested and prosecuted.
Giwa also said that the issue of truckers and hoodlums has lingered on for too long adding that Commissioner of Police represented Tijani and Senior Special Adviser to the Lagos Governor on Transport and Logistics, Hon. Hassan Adekoya have been given the matching order to enforce the directive.
Giwa said: “We find solution to the crisis and within some timelines too upon which the situation must stop. Port operation must not fail, we know the government had been a bit relaxed in this matter.
“At a point we have 172 extortion points, and some big men were behind the traffic gridlock in Apapa. We will take out these criminal elements from the streets of Lagos.
“The actions of these hoodlums are tantamount to economic sabotage; I was almost killed for trying to checkmate these criminal elements.”
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners, AMATO, (Consortium of the trucking Associations has called for total proscription of these extorting hoodlums truck drivers on the streets of Lagos.
AMATO’s President Remi Ogungbemi said that the Government must as a matter of urgency set up an Anti-hoodlums Task Force with a view to ensure that they are totally eliminated.
The group said that Brutalizing/killing of their drivers, forcefully and unlawfully collecting monies from Drivers, vandalization of their trucks, contributing to the falling of loaded trucks with containers on the roads and causing ghastly accidents and traffic gridlock on the roads were some of the reasons they decided to down tools.
Part of the presentation reads: “Sabotaging our business, threatening our lives and property, sabotaging Nigeria’s trade facilitation, seamless evacuation of cargoes from the Ports and ease of doing transportation in Lagos State were the reason behind our planned withdrawal of services.
“The maritime trucking community has for a protracted period now, being bedeviled with the scourge of unabated destruction of our assets (trucks), brutalization of our drivers as a result of the forceful and banditry style of operation aided by some powerful forces in Lagos which has now reached an alarming crescendo that has become excruciatingly unbearable.
“Furthermore, the activities of these Hoodlums have also contributed largely to increasing number of crashes involving our trucks, some of which have led to fatalities and destruction of properties for which we are being solely held responsible. Therefore, it suffices to say that is the outcome of endless atrocities of hoodlums against truckers that influenced the unanimous decision by key trucking stakeholders to withdraw services in order to press home our demands.
“And prior to arriving at this painful but necessary decision of our collective resolve, we had in the past and present made our challenges known to all relevant authorities, political class and some powerful elites not to mention the print and electronic media (including some international collaboration) in a bid to avoid a blood bath that could arise from a direct confrontation to end this oppression against truckers but ended not achieving any result.
“We acknowledge some intervention and efforts of the Lagos state Government to deal with the situation, but from the daring and increasing onslaught by this economic strangulation under the nose of the state Government leaves much to be desired.
“It should be however noted that the decision to resort to this action of ours is not easy, considering the estimated economic loss and impact this could have on the economy of the nation as a whole as well as our individual selves.
“This notwithstanding would not deter us from withdrawing our services at this critical time to rescue our lives, property and source of livelihood from these road vampires and economic terrorists who are increasing in numbers and boldness as exhibited in their daily dastardly acts without response from Government and Security Agencies to protect the truckers.
“Total proscription of extortion activities of touts/Hoodlums/Agberos against our members on the roads or through any other means that are not authorized by the law).
“Enforcement of the Tax and Levies act of 2004 which forbids anybody including tax authorities from collecting money/tolls on the roads.
“Government should set up an anti-hoodlum’s task force to protect truckers operating in Lagos the same way the BRT buses enjoy the protective cover of the Lagos State task force in every nook and cranny of Lagos state.
“The use of touts for enforcement by some agencies (e.g LASTMA) should be discontinued because when our trucks have minor challenge that may not take more than 5-15 minutes to address, these street urchins take both the truck and driver hostage for LASTMA tow trucks by preventing them from quick fixing of problem to enable them to continue with their trip.
“LASTMA also pay these hoodlums money before towing broken down trucks and subsequently, collect such amount from the truck owner separately before imposing their tow and fine charges.”
The management of the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, on its part appealed to truckers to shelve the strike so as to give room for an amicable settlement of the matter.
Managing Director of the NPA, Dr. Abdulkadir Dantsoho, who was represented by the Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Mr. Olalekan Badmus said that shutting down the ports will further worsen an already fragile economic situation of the country.
At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that toll collection from trailers and articulated trucks servicing the ports should be abrogated while the Police Commissioner is to ensure total enforcement of the decision on toll collection on Lagos roads.
