…Threatens court action
Truckers operating at the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT) 1 garage situated at Berger Cement bus stop in Lagos has accused the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) – Lagos State Government joint taskforce on demolition of shanties around port areas as well as a private company, Tenzik Oil and Energies Nigeria Limited of maliciously damaging their garage and carting away valuables.
A former Chairman, RTEAN, KLT 1 chapter, Mr. Godwin Ikeji who disclosed this in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Lagos Monday evening recalled that NPA gave out the garage to Tenzik Oil and Energies Nigeria Limited without their knowledge.
Ikeji informed that they woke up one day and saw a notice instructing them to quit the garage, a development he said forced them to start looking for how and where the notice came from.
“By the time we knew it, these people started coming claiming that NPA has given them this premises and that they are coming to take possession. We told them there is no way that kind of thing will happen, though we are tenants of NPA but we are more than tenants, we are stakeholders and that we did not just enter here and that the situation they see this place now is not the situation it was.
“So, we wrote a petition to NPA, we went even to CP Ports to complain that it is an unfair treatment and then, the Port Manager, Tincan Island Port Complex was the one who confirmed that here has been given out, we have been here, we are not paying. We said but we have been applying but you people never gave us the chance. We showed them proves that we have been asking to be formalized. They said, we should quit and then, when we are outside, we will now reapply. We said no, that is wrong. And then, we went to court.
“The matter is in court and was to be heard last Monday which was public holiday. We are aware of this NPA – Lagos State Taskforce that is demolishing shanties along the road, to our greatest surprise, this afternoon, I was not here. I was called on phone, then I rushed here to see that this very taskforce came around here and was led into this premises by a staff of that Tenzik and these people only came in, all they could do is to pull down that our office structure only, in spite of trucks parking inside there. They carted away our properties even money; in fact, we cannot quantify what we lost because they move about with hoodlums and all these troops that are moving with them.
“So, I came back and saw this thing and I said, no, this is malicious. A matter that is already in court, already, we have reached out to Alagbon because the matter is even before Alagbon. The man has even taken us to port Police and we went there and defended the case and they said that everybody should maintain peace since the matter is before a legitimate court of law. But this thing happening today took everybody unaware. In fact, activities, the involvement of people of this company is what has brought us immense disaffection to say this is purely a pre-meditated plan because even the shanties along the road, they did not tamper with them and for them to enter through our gate and left through our gate, the fence is there, which is NPA gate bordering everywhere, I said let me blow it up”, he explained.
Asked what steps they had taken to redress the situation, “Ikeji who is also former Secretary, Joint Council of Seaport Truckers (JCOST) said, “Although we have reached out to Alagbon, they have invited us and the Tenzik people tomorrow (today) at their office. Immediately, our people went straight to NPA Tincan Port management and they (NPA) told them no, that was not the instruction, that they were not aware. They are denying which I think by all indications, this is not part of instruction because it is an enclosed premises. It is just like going inside the port.
“Already, we have reached out to our lawyer, he will advise us on way forward but personally, I will even advise filing a fresh suit for malicious damage because the initial suit we filed was between us and NPA who is the bonafide landlord and then, we joined Tenzik but this time around, it is purely a case between the taskforce and ourselves with this man’s involvement. That is why I say this may be a different suit altogether.”
Photo: Former Chairman, RTEAN KLT 1 chapter, Mr. Godwin Ikeji.
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