By Steve Agbota, [email protected]
Amidst efforts by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Lagos State Government to enhance ease of doing business at port, the Apapa and Tin Can ports corridors have turned a notorious haven for corruption and extortion
The nefarious activities are being carried out at checkpoints mounted by various bodies ranging from touts/miscreants and sometimes, security personnel and purported task teams assigned to monitor traffic around the port environments.
With over 30 of such checkpoints between Mile 2 and Sunrise bus stop along the port corridor, Daily Sun learnt that most of them have been turned into notorious where truckers are subjected to lots of harassment, victimisation and extortion from touts, security personnel and task team.
Today, for a Customs broke to successfully deliver a container of TEU to Alaba International Market, Trade fair, Agbara, he spends between N150, 000:00 to N250,000:00 and more to touts
These truckers are forcefully extorted in the name of checkpoints along the port corridors. The illegal collection of fees by both the state and non-state actors poses financial loss to importers and truckers arising from diversion of containers/cargo and trucks.
Meanwhile, the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) has decried the incessant harassment, vandalism, extortion and killing of its members by touts over collection of illegal fees.
Lamenting the development, the COMTUA called on relevant government agencies on the deep frustration being experienced daily by its members in the course of discharging their lawful duties along the Mile 2 and Sunrise bus stop.
Reacting to the development on harbours and ports platform, the former National President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF), Eugene Nweke, said the issue should be of concern to well meaning industry stakeholders. There is this serial extortions along the cargo delivery corridor, which practices defeat the whole essence of ease of doing business and fueling inflation in the land.
“Good a thing , the COMTUA threw this first salvo even though, it failed to acknowledged the fact that they passed such extortions to the Custom brokers and their clients (shippers). As the case may be, it is an operational norm for a trucker to request the Custom brokers to attach an escort to them when delivering a consignment to the port of destination within Lagos, and no longer limited to up country delivery.
“Though, presently, the freight forwarding associations my be going through a seemingly non united front, but sooner or later, will take a second salvo on this issue of extortions along the delivery corridors. Today, for a Customs broke to successfully deliver a container of TEU to Alaba International Market, Trade fair, Agbara, he spends between N150, 000:00 to N250,000:00 to touts as highlighted by COMTUA and more.
“For a caution, maritime workers are not limited to the Nigerian industry alone. No where does the activities of the maritime workers constitute an obvious infractions to the cost of cargo clearance.
Usually, salient and serious industry facts and concerns are usually unravel in atmosphere of union disagreements. It is left for concerned industry administrators to leverage and institute best practices aimed to achieve a level playing field and boost ease of doing business in the port, thereby reducing added cost of living of the citizens,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a press statement signed by the National President of COMTUA, Prince Adeyinka Aroyewun, narrated the gory details of excruciating torture, extortion and destruction of trucks its members face daily in the hands of touts who position themselves along port access roads and major highways in Lagos.
Aroyewun said in the statement that sadly this brazen illegality continues in broad day light without any modicum of check.
“In the face of all these nauseating experiences, we have remained law-abiding; instead of resorting to violence, we have made several petitions and official letters to Government at different levels bidding to have relevant Government authorities call the miscreants to order, all to no avail as all our entreaties are not attended to.
“Truly, the body language of the Government is only a confirmation of the claim of the touts that they have the backing of the Government and that they work in absolute connivance,” he said.
Meanwhile, the statement depicted an unimaginable situation where the miscreants brag openly that nobody and no Government can stop them, as they own the Government and that Yoruba land is theirs, adding that anyone who is unwilling to comply should leave or cease to exist in Lagos, moreso, that they are card-carrying members of the ruling party.
The statement noted that this brazen lawlessness leaves any rational being to query if the Government functions to encourage and support illegality and criminals who openly act against established law and order in the State.
According to the statement, letters of complaint and consultation to Park and Garages Committee, Park Administration Committee and Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN) on the activities of their members can be described as falling on deaf ears as none yielded results.
The statement further stated that instead of applying civility, they resort to most provocative affront as these groups, in connivance with Government agencies, increases dues and extortion points.
“To be specific, Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) have 20 points from Coconut to Tin Can Port Second gate where NGN2,000 is forcefully collected per point from our members. They injure and sometimes kill our members for non-compliance to the extortion.
“Park and Garages has different heads name withheld and in all , there are 30 extortion points between Mile 2 and Sunrise where between N2,000 and N6,000 are forcefully collected per point,” the statement reads.
The statement alleged that another serious concern is the involvement of a Royal father, name withheld who encourages his committee members to create more points of extortion.
The statement argued that the role of government is suspicious in this societal vice which is giving grave concern to COMTUA.
The council felt concerned that these pipes and other weapon-wielding boys on roads leading to the ports and parts of the highway are daily on rampage while the Government feels unperturbed.
“The claim that they are members of the ruling Party in the state and therefore are at liberty to commit crimes should be a cause worry and concern for this government if they are not in connivance. Most disturbing is that TTP continues monetary collections without considering hardship truckers face in the hand of this hoodlums.
“We are deeply troubled as our members are injured and killed by these criminals daily without any concerns from authorities and this is totally unacceptable especially as our members are living in very hard times due to poor return per trip and debts which is given impetus by this ugly state of affair,” the statement sadly remarked.
The statement noted that the maritime transport industry is dying, COMTUA stated that its members have been pushed to the wall and that this portend grave danger that may result to untoward offensive reaction, hence has deemed it necessary to use the medium of the press statement to, for the umpteenth time, call on relevant authorities to address the criminal extortion and activities of these touts against its members, knowing well that it is illegal.