The Executive Secretary of the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Mr. Aloga Ogbogo has said that the association is ready to appear before the yet to be set up audit committee to probe the activities of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) by the Federal Government.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen in Lagos, Ogbogo stated that once the committee was set up, his association would appear before the committee and tell them about the ongoing issues they had with the NPA as it affected the truck standardization exercise carried out recently by the NPA.
He disclosed that NARTO’s position on the operations of the NPA had been justified by the proposed audit of the agency as he said that they were aware that even the federal government seemed not to have confidence in the NPA hence the decision to set up an audit committee.
According to him,” But again, as it is now, we are aware that even the federal government seems not to have confidence in the NPA and they are about setting up an audit committee. So, you can see that we are being justified now and if they set up the committee, we will appear before that committee and tell them an ongoing issue that we have with them because if you look at the reality, what are collecting that money for? They said truck standardization, before collecting the money, were the trucks inspected? Where did you assemble the trucks to carry out the said inspection on the trucks? And as I am talking to you now, if you go inside the port now, you will see fake stickers circulating.
“So, the purpose of that exercise was just to collect money, the purpose of the truck standardization was totally defeated. It was dead eve before it arrived. So, the federal government has seen the illegalities in NPA, well we cannot say that somebody is guilty unless the court pronounces him guilty. We will appear before the committee and we will give them our own side of the story.
“We are saying that in the first instance, that collection of N10,000 is an act of illegality because what they are asking for is what the consignee has already paid for . You have collected money for services you are not rendering, the Vehicle Entry Permit, the consignee has paid for that because the truck that is coming to take the cargo is coming on the instruction of the consignee”.
The Executive Secretary maintained that if NPA wanted to put in place the electronic gate pass, it was not the transporters that would pay for them adding that if NPA was asking for truck standardization, the truckers were in agreement that such exercise would be carried out but quickly added that the right thing needed to be done.
“Yes, you want to standardize the trucks, you inspect the trucks, physical checks, assemble the trucks but as it is now, those trucks that were given those stickers, were they inspected? First of all, they got it wrong because in the first instance, they failed to carry the stakeholders along. Truck inspection is not what we are strange to, we do that in the wet cargo and for you to do the inspection, you need to assemble the trucks, get a consultant to inspect the tyres, the wipers, the windscreen but in the course of doing that, you spread it because if they assemble all the trucks, they are going to tie down the number of trucks that will go into the ports and do business. So, you spread it and keep date so that you do it in a such a way that it doesn’t affect the operations of the ports.
“But because they are insensitive to the plights of the transporters, because they do not seem to be experienced and because of their inability to carry the stakeholders along caused this problem. So, for me, it is an act of illegality and there are so many things that monies are being collected for but those monies are not being used. They collect 7% development fee, that port development fee is meant to develop the port access roads, look at the state of the port roads.
“We will appear before the committee and we will tell them that a lot of ills are going on in NPA and that the system needs to be overhauled”, he insisted.
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