NIGERIA DECLINE IN PRODUCTIVITY AND ALLEGED SABOTAGE: NAGAFF

 RC:11026

(Establishment order part C of bere 1,of 1990)

May 08,2025.

His Excellency

Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR

President,Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Aso Rock Villa

Abuja.

Attention: The Chief of Staff

Dear Mr.President

ETO-CALL -UP IN PORT ECOSYSTEM,WESTERN PORTS, LAGOS

NIGERIA.DECLINE IN PRODUCTIVITY AND ALLEGED SABOTAGE

BY NAGAFF MANAGEMENT STAFF

1.Prior to 2022 fiscal year,the port artery roads were literally blocked.

The vehicular movements were reduced to standstill always.The situation became a huge source of worry to all port users which was an embarrassment to both the state and Federal governments.

2.There were humongous economic loses by the public and private sectors.As a result,businesses began to collapse,companies relocated out of Apapa,due to the recalcitrant,perennial traffic gridlock.The traffic situation became a quagmire that defied all known solutions.Several Taskforces on road decongestion were constituted,but after sometime, they petered out.

3.Based on the persistent negative effects of the road congestion,the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy in conjunction with Nigeria Ports Authority(NPA)engaged a digital traffic management company:Transit Park Ltd,an Indigenous owned private company.It was charged with the responsibility to decongest the port access roads.

4.The Management of TTP Nig Ltd,led by Barr.Jama Onwubuariri,carried out a holistic study of the monumental traffic malaise that almost crippled the port operations in Lagos.They immediately commenced engagement and sensitization of all the critical stakeholders on the need to prepare and align themselves with the revolution that was in the offing.True to their timely promises during the retinue of sensitization programmes, they deployed massive infrastructure,state-of-the-art technological know-how.Within a space of less than two years,the traffic was virtually eliminated.The Port traffic systems are highly automated.The port access roads,hitherto inaccessible,have become accessible.

5.In all these,however that,there are still trances of draw-backs. Truckers are vehemently complaining that the time spent at the pre-gates are long.There is noticeable inefficiency in the call-up system of trucks from the Pre-gate.While many truckers spend longer periods waiting to be called from the Pre-gates,some are given preferential treatment to the extent that some truckers access the ports through one-way in the full glare of the security personnel.This malfeasance happens especially at nights.

6.Another challenging draw-back is the high level of extortion by the Traffic officers.Every check point from the pre-gates to the port gates has huge amount each trucker must pay before he is allowed to get to the next check point.There are well organized corrupt syndicates among the traffic officers to ensure that their money is paid per truck.Failure to pay,the trucker immediately turned back.

7.Yet another challenging problem is the existence of a cartel whose stock-in-trade is to process for the ETO call-up code through manipulation and hoard them to create artificial scarcity.This occasionally results to selling the code at the cost of over Four Hundred Thousand naira(N400,000),per code.This cost is instantly transferred to the haulage cost to as high as One Million Naira(N1,000,000.00) for local delivery of cargoes.The irony of these is that this mess happens only in Lagos Port Complex.There are four major terminals inside the Lagos Port Complex.This doesn't happen at TinCan that has similar multiple terminals.There are first and second gates at TinCan, while Lagos Port complex has only one In-gate.

8.In our considered opinion,therefore,much as we commend the combined efforts of the Honorable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy,

2, the Managing Director of Nigeria Ports Authority and the Managing Director of TTP Nig Ltd,and of course the organized Associations like NAGAFF,ANLCA,Trucking Associations,for the cooperation and collaboration to achieve the milestones,it is evident that,much work is still needed to be done.From available information,there is gradual build-up of traffic most times in recent times,indicative of the fact that ETO Call-Up system is relapsing. Therefore,something urgent has to be done.

9.We call on the Hon.Minister to review the modus operandi of the ETO Call-up System.The machinery needs to be rejigged.We are unwilling to be taken back to Egypt. Thorough investigation needs to be conducted to unravel the disgruntled traffic Officers,NPA and TTP Staff that may be complicit on the above mentioned and observable clogs in the wheel of the progress of automated traffic management systems.

Remarks: 

The urgent need for the federal government to intervene and unmask the remote cause or causes of low productivity at the moment provide corruption activities,bottle neck of NPA and the shortcomings of the operators of ETO -call -up system.

We shall in due cause make further statement,which shall include appropriate recommendations for Mr.President to be decisive on ailing government agencies and its leadership who may not have keyed into the mantra of renewed hope for a greater Nigeria.

FWDR.GODFREY E.NWOSU

SECRETARY GENERAL

Cc:Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF)

:Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA)

:Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy

:TTP

:Nigeria Shippers Council

:Council for the Requlation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria(CRFFN)

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