Following the successful flag off of the implementation of the minimum standard for trucks operating in the Western Ports by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mallam Habib Abdullahi last week Thursday in Lagos and the eventual refusal of entry to non registered trucks into the ports in the Western Zone, truck drivers are now falling on each other in their bid to get their trucks registered and certified.
Recall that prior to the flag off, truck owners under the auspices of the Coalition of Port Dry Cargo Transport Operators (CPDCTO) had been opposed to the N10, 000.00 entry permit fee as part of the standardization exercise then to be embarked upon by the NPA.
Although the CPDCTO said that it was not oppose to standardization of trucks, it however said that it was against the monetary aspect of the entire exercise pleading with the NPA to remove the monetary aspect and make do with the minimum standard.
Following the insistence of the management of NPA on the N10, 000.00 entry permit fee, the truckers embarked on peaceful protest twice to drive home their demand and later withdrew their service on Monday 21st of March, 2016 when the exercise was initially slated to take off only to call off the action few hours later on gathering that NPA was no longer going on with the enforcement on the said date.
When the exercise eventually took off on the 31st of March, 2016, the leadership of CPDCTO issued a notice to members to who were yet to return their empty containers to the ports to do so on or before Sunday 3rd of April, 2016 and stay away from the ports as from Monday, the 4th of April, 2016 and await further directive from them.
Meanwhile, members of the Corporate Fleet Owners who were formerly part of the Coalition pulled out of the body and identified with what NPA was doing saying that their decision to key into the exercise was as a result of the assurances given to them by NPA’s management that with the commencement of the exercise, all perceived extortion of truckers would stop even as they asked CPDCTO to join the train.
However, a visit by our correspondent to the Tincan Island ports on Monday, the 4th of April, 2016, it was gathered that the officials of the NPA Safety department were having a hectic day going to inspect trucks that lined up the road along the first gate of the Tincan Island Ports on Oshodi-Apapa expressway with the truck drivers eager to have their trucks inspected and certified.
Also, a visit at the Western Ports headquarters on Tuesday by our correspondent reveal a large number of truck drivers either filing forms, collecting debit note to go and make payment to the bank, collecting receipts or collecting stickers.
More so, visible during the visit to Apapa was a long queue of trucks either waiting to be inspected or are undergoing inspection with NPA officials sweating profusely under the scorching sun and by Wednesday, the gate leading to the Western Ports Headquarters was shut to the truck drivers who were trooping in in their numbers to get registered with security agents having difficulty in putting the crowd on check.
When contacted, the Chairman of CPDCTO, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed Inuwa refuted the claims that their members were complying with NPA’s directive over entry permit saying that it was the clearing agents whose money were depleting at the shipping companies that went to NPA to make the payment and collected stickers for their members who were having empty containers to return to the ports to do so without any further delay so as to collect their container deposit from the shipping companies.
Inuwa accused NPA of jettisoning the minimum standard as they now focus more on collecting the money even without inspecting the trucks to ensure that standards were met adding that he had photographs to buttress his claims.
He alluded to the fact that the notice directing members who were yet to return empty containers to the ports to do so on or before Sunday 3rd of April, 2016 as having emanated from the group insisting that they had withdrawn their services from the ports.
“We asked that the empty containers and export should be return and that they should stay in the sense that in the process, the agents deposits with the shipping companies would not be trapped but now, NPA is using it as an avenue to force the agents to bear the cost of the registration and the agents in order not to lose their deposits now have to queue and collect the stickers and give to our members so that they can go and return the empty containers in order to save their deposits at the shipping companies.
“We are still bent on withdrawing our services. Look at our garage here, you see our trucks, even some places, you cannot pass through, everywhere is filled up. The trucks you see lining up on the road are there based on our directive”, he said.
On his part, the Financial Secretary of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Mr. Murtala Adebowale stated that although they were opposed to the payment of the N10, 000.00 entry permit fee initially, they had no other option than to get their trucks inspected, certified and pay the said amount so as to enable them carry on with their job at the ports.
He said, “They (NPA) gave us until the 1st of March, 2016 to register but we refused, then they shifted it to 31st of March, 2016 after which they did not allow any truck to enter again. Now, if you want to enter AP Moller, if you don’t have NPA sticker, you will not be able to enter. After that, all trucks begin to park outside because they don’t have access to enter. That is why everybody is rushing to collect it because if you don’t have it, you cannot enter”.
Adebowale however regretted the suffering they have to undergo in the process of obtaining the entry permit adding that of all the staff NPA had, it was only one staff that was assigned to attend to the crowd of truckers who were trooping in for the exercise noting that it was giving them headache.
On what happens if one’s truck failed to meet the minimum standard, he said,” If you do not meet the minimum standard, they will not give you debit note. If your truck did not meet the required standard, there and then, they will mark not okay for you and they won’t give you debit note until you go and put your vehicle in order and come back”.
As at the time of filing this report, the officials of NPA could not be reached for comment as all the General Manager Western Ports, Chief Michael Ajayi was said to be in a meeting and could not grant interview.
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