By Steve Agbota
The Nigerian Shipper’s Council (NSC) has said that non-state actors (touts) would be removed from the port corridor especially at Apapa and Tin Can Island ports
Its Executive Secretary, Emmanuel Jime, said to achieve this, the council would collaborate with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the Lagos State Task Force Team.
Speaking during a meeting with the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA), NSC, NPA and Lagos State Task Force Team, Jime who was represented by his Director, Consumer Affairs, Cajetan Agu noted that removing the touts would reduce extortion on the port corridor.
“We are here today to address issues being raised by COMTUA which has to do with the Eto call-up system, harassment and extortion being experienced at the port corridor.
“There should be decorum in terms of traffic management because whatever is being experienced by the truckers in terms of cost or otherwise is passed to the importer and thus results in increase in prices of goods,” he said.
As regards Eto, Jime said its purpose was to remove human interface and, thereby, fight extortion, adding that the agencies involved would sit down and discuss ways to address the issue.
He urged truckers to note that the call-up should be on need basis by terminals, “stay in approved parks until called, shun giving bribes, always call the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority when trucks break down.”
Jime stressed that enforcement teams should be moving around to have an experience of what the truckers are complaining about and to ensure sanity on the port corridor.
NPA Principal Manager, representing Tin Can Port Manager, Mr Anda Emmanuel, noted that the authority had launched bikers that would go round to monitor obstruction and gridlock on the port corridor.
Emmamuel noted that it was true that there were illegal checkpoints and they had brought it to the notice of the authority for action.
As regards Eto, he said it was work in progress, adding that the truckers should understand that there was a time belt for everything, empty containers, exports and others.
“Truckers should not try to cheat the system because they will be caught and we will block all leakages and ensure that they come out from garages when called,” he said. Representative of the president of COMTUA, Collins Dike, called for synergy between truck terminals releasing trucks and seaport terminals receiving them.