The Joint Council of Seaport Truckers (JCOST) has called on the Federal government to revisit the idea of establishing a transporters’ bank which it earlier proposed to assist transporters in the country build capacity in their business.
The Treasurer of the Council, Alhaji Isiaka Olalere who made this call in an interview with Primetime Reporters in Lagos said that the bank when established would benefit every duly registered transporter in Nigeria and reduce the cases of rickety trucks plying the nation’s highway.
Olalere maintained that the call became necessary following their inability to access loans from the regular commercial banks in Nigeria as well as the inability of the government at various levels to assist them put better trucks on the roads.
According to him,” we like good things, we want to buy new trucks, if we are able to get bank loan or if the government can support us, you know there was a time they were talking about transporters’ bank, if that one is established, I know that the real transporters are the one to benefit from it and not every Tom, Dick and Harry. It will help every one of us “.
He disclosed that the Council does mention their plights to the authorities each time they have any reason to meet with them yet no help seemed to be coming their way as the authorities rather advised them to form cooperatives to help themselves.
Olalere who is also the Chairman, Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Tincan Island Chapter in Lagos however said that the truckers had agreed to form a cooperative society having started the process expressing the hope that through the cooperative society, the government may pick interest in their affair thereby coming to their aid.
“We are trying to bring the campaign to our members to enlighten them so that they will know the meaning. We have started the process, sooner or later, we are going to bring out details of how we are going to run it. By the time we are through, we will establish it, may be from there the government will come in”, he said.
On ensuring standardization of their trucks, the RTEAN boss opined that they cannot conclude the standardization of their trucks in one day adding that it was an ongoing thing that would take some time to get over with.
He said, “if you look at our trucks now, you will discover that we have been putting it in order. What we always tell our members is if you have four unserviceable trucks, dispose two and use the fund to maintain the other two. That is what our members have been doing and that exercise is not going to end one day. We have started and we are trying to maintain it”.
When asked how long it would take them to conclude work on the standardization of their trucks, Olelere has this to say,” I cannot tell you how long but gradually, we are repairing our vehicles to meet the standards prescribed by the government”.
