Members of the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) have expressed displeasure at the consistent disruption of their business activities on Lagos roads by hoodlums and street urchins.
President of the association, Mr. Yinka Aroyewun, at a briefing in Lagos, accused the Lagos State Government, the Nigerian Police and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) of using the state security apparatus as well as draconian regulations to frustrate efforts of the group.
Aroyewun urged the state government to protect members of the association from illegal extortions, which he said was rampant in Lagos. He lamented that hoodlums constantly attack truck drivers on the roads with sophisticated weapons.
“You marvel that despite our efforts to be law-abiding in doing our legitimate business, we have been having issues with both the state and the non state actors who have been using the state security architectures to frustrate us out of this business. Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA), the Nigerian Police, the Navy and other security operatives are also culpable in frustrating our efforts to move from one destination to the other. Even the management of the NPA is also culpable. Our members are dying in silence,” he said.
Aroyewun also listed other issues affecting COMTUA to include deliberate delay in administration of justice by the Lagos State Mobile Court, and irregularities in the activities of the management of the Nigerian Port Authority, among others.
“The NPA came up with an initiative tagged: “Truck Transit Park” (TTP), which they admitted to be a failure. Also the electronic call-up medium nicknamed “ETO,” according to NPA, still needs to be fine-tuned.