The last is yet to be heard of the registration of trucks operating in the Nigerian Seaports by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Western Ports as truckers has concluded plans to hold a peaceful protest on Thursday in Lagos.
It will be recalled that that the Western Ports of NPA had earlier in the year announced its plan to register and certify all the trucks operating in all the ports in the zone beginning from February 1, 2016 whereas by March 1, 2016, all unregistered trucks would not be allowed entry into the premises of NPA to load.
Upon registration and certification, the truckers will be issued with an annual sticker which will guarantee them entry into the ports on payment of N10,000 registration fee.
Although, NPA later announced a shift in the enforcement date which was originally scheduled to commence on March 1, 2016 to March 21, 2016 with an explanation that the shift was at the instance of the truckers to enable them put their trucks in order, truckers seemed resolute in their refusal to pay the N10,000 registration fee imposed on them by NPA.
Speaking to Primetime Reporters yesterday on the outcome of their meeting at National association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) office at Apapa, Lagos, the Secretary of the Joint Council of Seaport Truckers (JCOST), Mr. Godwin Ikeji informed that having weighed all the options before them, the truckers decided to commence series of activities that would register their dissatisfaction with the said fee before the new enforcement date set by NPA so as to let the public hear their voices.
Ikeji maintained that the action had become necessary following a barrage of misrepresentation and misinformation being dished out to the public by the NPA.
He disclosed that the first in the series of the activities lined up to protest the fee slammed on them by NPA was a peaceful protest scheduled to commence at 8.00 am on Thursday adding that the peaceful protest would commence from NARTO office to the Apapa ports through Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) to Tincan Island and then back to Apapa.
Ikeji who is the former Chairman of the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), KLT 1 stated that during the protest, members would carry placards mounting on the back of mini trailers to drive home their grievances with NPA.
He further revealed that they were considering the option of going to court to stop the NPA from enforcing the payment of the registration fee saying that they were talking with some lawyers already in this regard.
He however recalled that they were not against the move by NPA to set standard for the trucks that would access the ports rather they were not comfortable with the fee attached in that regard expressing the stance of their members on putting their vehicles in order.
While harping that they were not and cannot fight government as doing so would amount to effort in futility, he however called on NPA to reconsider its stance on the N10,000 registration fee it slammed on them.
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