– Dangote is the only one not on the E-call up platform -LASG
– We are ready if the infrastructures are ready – Dangote
– Local Govt Chair decry increased accidents, deaths
Esther Oritse
Lagos — There are indications that the call up truck management system introduced by the Lagos Government to manage the traffic situation in the Lekki Port corridor may have hit the rocks as various stakeholders have expressed concerns over the workability of the project.
While the Lagos State is moving to coarse every stakeholders operating in that axis to embrace the truck call up system, the Dangote Group has said that it was deceived and dissuaded from constructing its own park truck to cater for the needs of its refinery.
Speaking at meeting with stakeholders and business owners last week at the Lagos State secretariat at Alausa, Ikeja, Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Seun Osiyemi said that the call system for traffic management will commence today adding that if there are issues to be corrected and resolved, they will be done as the project goes on.
Osiyemi assured stakeholders that every business owners and investor of reaping from their investment in that axis.
Meanwhile, Mr. Yinka Akande, an official of the Dangote group was also in attendance at the meeting said that the truck was part of the plan for the refinery adding that the company was ready to build its own park until the State government during tenure of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode dissuaded Dangote from venturing into and advised that they concentrate on the refinery as the government had made to establish truck parks to service the operations in the Free Trade Zone.
Akande also said the Dangote Group not invited to the meeting because it only got the notice of the less than 48 hours before the meeting adding that because the group has respect for constituted authority, it had to find its way to the meeting by discarding all other engagement.
He explained that the Dangote group is desirous of the call up project but we have a problem about the sequencing of activities and where the priority seem to be.
He said: “A precursor activity happened before your regime, before you came into power. Our project proponent (is this correct? I don’t understand what is ‘‘project proponent” was invited by the State Governor (who is the Governor?)(I am not sure who was Governor then) and we were interested in being part of a truck park, and the Governor said to us, you do not need to build truck park.
We have already acquired a 33 hectare piece of land in the vicinity for the purpose of building a modern truck park but the Governor dissuaded us from that intention saying don’t worry, the state government is in participation with some private entity and we are going to put a very standard truck park in place. All you need to do is to be off-takers and we made that commitment.
“But years after, nothing is happening, so the Governor said concentrate on your construction of the refinery. This is logistics and logistics is not your core function, leave that to us but it has not materialized and that put us in a twist (is this the actual word he used? Check again) (YES). And we all started running helter-skelter wanting to identify where trucks would park. We do not want to a repetition of what happened in Apapa because we are a responsible organization.
“We have had so many meetings with Call Technologies team, promoters of the E-call up and we have been ready to key into the project but where are the parks. We went to investigate the parks and we found out that the scale and scope of the parks was nowhere near what we require. We are talking about an operations that when it comes to peak of production, we will need 2,700 to 2,800 trucks per day.
“There are ten parks and the park with the highest capacity is 300 trucks so we are more desirous of putting more efforts on the development of these parks and once they are ready, we will be very ready to be on board the e-call up match up within our system. We are very desirous to be part of this but we believe that e-call should be a cast stone project (I don’t think this is the correct world he used after everything has been put in place but we do not seem to have seen that everything has been put in place. We may be wrong but that is our perception and that is why we have come today.”
Reacting to Akande outburst, Special Assistant to the Governor on Transportation, Mr. Sola Giwa assured stakeholders that the call-up system is best way to control and manage the influx of vehicular movement into that axis adding that the government want to ensure that both human and vehicular traffic have unfettered access to the roads
We understand where you are coming from and we appreciate what Dangote has done and obviously, what is going to happen in that area is nothing compare to what happened to Apapa and Ijegun combined if we do not start the e-call up now.
We understand very well that all the pieces and nuts should be in place, I am coming from the experience of how we started late in Apapa several years after the ports were concessioned. So we are actually playing catch up. We do not want to play catch up, let us start, we know there will be teething problems, we have met with everyone here more than ten times. That is a government that is serious, we are showing that we are proactive but we know that we cannot coarse you into this, you have to be our willing partner to make this work and that is the reason why we are here to start the process.
It took the intervention of Mr. Governor to bring Dangote and Flourmills on board E-call up. So I am saying is that you will be onboard the e-call up. We know that you want to do 2,700 trucks per day and I hope you can imagine, based on the vehicular density of Lagos and the explosion of that place, what is going to happen if we do not put in place a process by which you can sequence these trucks into your facility for them to load.
We have about ten truck parks and in total, they have over 2,000 capacity and there is room for expansion.
In his reaction, the State commissioner for Transportation Seun Osiyemi disclosed that Dangote is the only company that has not complied with the e-call up because the issue they raised.
Osiyemi explained that there was a stalemate between Dangote and the State government and the e-call system at a point which made the project to be suspended.
The commissioner disclosed that trucks will be as much s 15kilometers away from the port corridor and can only come in when they are needed.
He further explained that the government is also in talks with a private company that will taking containers via waterways.
He said: “We are just looking at the land, we are looking at a multi-modal system. We are having a high level discussion with a private company that will take container via water to reduce the stress on the road.”
Speaking in similar vein, Chairman of the Ibeju –Lekki Local Government Area, Mr. Sesan Olowa lamented the incessant accidents that has led to the death of people of the Council and supported the call for all stakeholders to be on the e-call up platform with a view to controlling and managing vehicular movement in the lekki port corridor.
Olowa: “ A few months ago, we truck ran into an hospital destroying properties and killing people, we cannot continue to have these trucks move around the Council without proper monitoring.
“Honestly, the call up system has to start almost immediately because we are not enjoying the current traffic situation in that axis, everybody is focused on the money to be made and nobody care about the people in the locality.
“We have seen situation where truck ran into the General Hospital and killed people, we have had cases where tankers loaded with gas fell on the roads and these companies do not even care.
“As we plan ahead of the commencement of the call up system, please I urge you all to consider safety and security of the people of Ibeju-Lekki.
“Most times, the speed of the trucks are not regulated and they drive anyhow and cause accidents, so for us this a major concern.
“With proper enforcement, there will sanction and conviction because of the caliber of these drivers, most are young people that cannot be controlled, they misbehave. So there is a need for a proper enforcement to be put in place.
“The general perception of the people around that axis is that, there is so much happening around there and so little or nothing coming to them by way of opportunities and benefits.
I cannot put all on you, but what I am trying to say is that, we must come up with some form of framework to see how the people can also be integrated into that value chain.”
Speaking in similar vein, Mr. Daniel Odibe, Deputy Managing Director of Lekki Deep Seaport said that the Standard Operating Procedures must be defined and made available to all stakeholders operating in the Free Trade Zone.
An official of Call up Technologies, promoters of the e-call yup system, Mr. Tokunbo Ezekwe said that everything about the system is ready and the Information Technology equipment has been deployed appropriately.
The National President of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, Mr. Yusuf Lawal said that one grey area that is yet to be cleared is the issue of the fee payable for the call up service.
Lawal said that most members of NARTO have not been informed as to how much is to be paid adding that a lot more sensitization and awareness need to created so every stakeholder are on the same page.
