Steve Agbota
The Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC) Monday identified the shutdown of Lilypond truck park, corruption among those controlling traffic as factors fuelling the return of traffic to the port access road.
However, the government agency is planning to partner Lagos State government to establish mobile court to effect compliance and prosecute offenders who involve in bribe and corruption, and break traffic rules.
Speaking at the stakeholders meeting to find a lasting solution to the Apapa gridlock, the Executive Secretary of the NSC, Barr. Hassan Bello, said there is need to put the Lilypond truck pack back into use.
Bello who was represented by the Director, Cosumer Services, Cajetan Agu, said the Presidential Task Team (PTT) should liaise with the Lagos state government on creation of mobile court to persecute those seeking bribes from truck drivers.
He said, “We should liaise with the Lagos state government to give us mobile court for anyone seeking bribes so that anyone found guilty should be jail to put an end to the bribery. Bribery is done in the open and none is complying with the system so, we need to enforce compliance.”
“Reasons, why truck drivers are involved in mal practices is because there is no efficient system to punish them for wrong acts.” The shippers Council’s boss also said that trucks must be compelled to use the designated truck parks and adhere to the call up system even as he called for efficiency of terminal operators to handle trucks released.
His words, “Some truck owners dont have garages. We must go back to the designated 48 parks for truck drivers to go for call up. Also, the efficiency of terminal operators must be looked into. For instance, if 50 trucks are released to a terminal and they doht have capacity to handle up to that, there will be problem.”
He also stated that there is need for inter agency coperations among different agencies of government at the seaport.
According to him, government agencies are independent of each other making it difficult for coordination.
“Government agencies at the port must be talking to each other, we must not continue working in isolation so as to have an efficient traffic control mechanism.”