The Council of Maritime Transport Union and Association (COMTUA) has slammed the Truck Transit Parks Limited, operator of eto call up system in Apapa, saying there is nothing good in the company’s operation and procedure.
In a statement issued recently, the national President of the association, Adeyinka Aroyewun said ceding the Lekki Deep Sea Port truck management to TTP will be a repeat of the failure that is being witnessed in Apapa currently.
The association is advised the federal government, Lagos State Government, The Nigerian Ports Authority and other investors in the Lekki Deep Sea Port to seek a credible alternative to Truck Transit Park Limited.
The statement reads in part “our attention has been drawn to lies of Mr. Jamal on the achievements of eto call up in clearing the gridlock on the port corridor in Apapa. This, he is using as an instrument to convince the federal government into ceding the Lekki port to it for truck call up.
“We continue to wonder why this character will think he can deceive everybody into accepting the entire failure of his company as a Nigerian problem. We would, ordinarily have ignored him and allow the NPA fall the same victim of his fraud twice, but the interest of our business and the entire nation is our guide.
“Most disturbing is his claim that COMTUA endorses or recommends him. This is laughable, as we have not seen anything good in his illegal and imposed procedure. The failure of TTP and the illegality involved are as follows: 1. Members of Council of Maritime Transport Union Association (“COMTUA”) have continued to experience challenges in accessing and conducting their lawful businesses despite the introduction of the electronic call up system (via the electronic application called Eto (“ETO” or the “App”) introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority (“NPA”) but operated/managed by Trucks Transit Parks Limited (“TTPL”).
“2. Despite the intendment of the App, which should ordinarily aid the use and access to the ports without any human interface or forms of preference, members of our association have experienced incessant cases of such human interface and preferences which makes the continued use and/or operation of ETO an abuse.
“3. Our members are required to, irrespective of the location of their trucks, specifically pay for certain dues, including satellite and pre-gate garages, whether or not these services are used or usable or reasonable. Also, notwithstanding procuring the required and approved governmental documents for the road worthiness of our trucks, members of our association are subjected to a second mandatory road worthiness documentation process with the NPA before the use and access to the ports.
“4. Further to the above, and in abuse of the rights of movement of members of the COMTUA, their trucks are unable to freely move both within and outside the precincts of the ports, except and until these documentations, among other things, are procured from the NPA.
“5. The charges imposed for the use and access to the ports have been unilaterally altered repeatedly (about five times) by TTPL without any form of consultation or consideration for the interests of the users of the ports, including members of our association. “7. The road leading to the port is never free of stationary trucks and extortion is on the increase. 8. The imposition of the fraudulent Minimum Safety sticker of the NPA, which have hitherto been placed on hold by a court for revenue purposes.
“We are by this medium advising the Federal Government, Lagos State Government, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other investors in the Lekki Deep Sea Port to seek a credible alternative and not reinforce the failure of Truck Transit Park we are witnessing in Apapa”.
