– Warns against scrapping e-call up system
Esther Oritse
Lagos — Truck owners and drivers under the aegis of the Maritime Truck Drivers Association (MTDA) staged a protest yesterday, opposing calls to scrap the electronic call-up system.
They also decried widespread racketeering, inefficiencies at port terminals that cause long queues on access roads, and the multiple layers of extortion faced by truck operators—issues they say have severely impacted their businesses financially.
The protesters, who began their march from the Lillypond Truck Park in Ijora and moved through Apapa Port to Tin-Can Island Port on Tuesday, raised concerns over growing extortion checkpoints, racketeering, and terminal inefficiencies. They warned that these issues not only place a heavy financial burden on truck operators but also cause significant delays in cargo movement by hindering the smooth entry and exit of trucks at the ports.
It was gathered that certain cartels are allegedly generating electronic call-up tickets and selling them on the black market for between ₦250,000 and ₦400,000. Additionally, truck drivers are reportedly forced to pay between ₦5,000 and ₦20,000 at multiple extortion points along the port access corridors.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as: “ETO Call-Up Is Working, Let TTP Be!”, “Eliminate Extortion Checkpoints in Apapa and Tin-Can Ports”, “Call-Up Is Working, Improve Terminal Efficiency”, “MTDA Supports ETO Call-Up Against Extortion Checkpoints”, “ETO Has Addressed Traffic in Apapa and Tin-Can Corridors”, “Remove Extortion Checkpoints and Give Us ETAG”
“MTDA Supports ETO Call-Up, No Going Back to Egypt”
The truck owners and drivers also called for the introduction of Electronic Tags (ETAG), which would help prevent manipulation of call-up allocations as well as urged authorities to address multiple extortion checkpoints and deploy truck scheduler system to enhance call up efficiency.
According to the truckers’ associations and committee, the production of ETAG will eliminate call-up racketeering and the use of multiple identities to access the ports,
The Chairman of Lagos State Trucks and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), Lukeman Shittu, defended the electronic call-up system, declaring calls to abandon the system in favour of old methods are misguided and only serve those who once benefitted from chaos and unregulated access to the ports.
Zangalo drew on his two decades of experience in the trucking sector to highlight how the port environment has transformed since the introduction of the ETO system, unlike in the past, when trucks parked indiscriminately and clogged Lagos roads.
“We just want to clarify some misinformation out there, people calling for a return to the old system are not representing real stakeholders. Those were the ones benefiting from the disorder,” he stated.
Zangalo acknowledged that some operational issues remain, particularly when port terminals experience downtime or delays.
“If terminals like APMT and other terminals are not operating efficiently, trucks can’t move. And TTP won’t release more trucks, leading to a backlog,” he noted.
The Secretary General, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Mohamed Sani Bala, declared a vote of confidence in the electronic call-up system, praising its impact in eliminating gridlock and improving traffic flow along the Apapa and Tin Can Island logistics corridors.
While applauding the electronic platform, Bala raised concerns about the negative impact of extortion checkpoints allegedly manned by security operatives and other personnel along the corridor.
“We want to appeal to the management of the NPA to please reduce the number of extortion checkpoints along the port corridors as truckers are losing a lot of proceeds to the activities of the people operating most of these checkpoints.
He also proposed the implementation of a truck scheduling system that ensures only trucks officially released from holding bays are allowed into the ports, noting that this will help avoid unauthorised entry and reduce congestion.
Bala called for improved terminal operations to match the gains of the call-up system, warning that delays at terminal gates and operational inefficiencies could undermine efforts to decongest the access roads.
The Public Relations Officer of Maritime Truck Drivers Association (MTDA), Afeez Alabi, rejected attempts to undermine the electronic call-up system, warning that any return to the chaotic old order of port access would cripple operations and reverse hard-won progress along the Apapa port corridor.
He said the digital system has brought transparency and order to truck movement in and out of the ports, exposing irregularities and significantly reducing traffic congestion.
Alabi acknowledged that while the system was initially introduced at a modest fee of N10,250, a black market has since emerged where call-up slots are resold for between N120,000 and N130,000, a sign of entrenched corruption the truckers want eliminated.
