The Association of Maritime Truck Owners, on Tuesday described-call-up system introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, calling for the management to protect the system against hijack.
The Chairman of the association, Remi Ogungbemi, who stated this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos, said that allowing hijack of the system would be disastrous and defeat the purpose of establishing the system.
He said: “E-call-up system of admitting trucks into the terminal is the best way to go. It is what I had been clamouring for.
“We so much applaud this new system by NPA, and we are giving everything, except our lives, to support the system to work.
“The call-up system is one that will not have human interference. This is because favouritism, extortion, corruption and bribery will continue to exist if we allow human interference,” he said.
He said that areas of hiccups should be identified and necessary adjustments made to promote the system.
Also, Abdulhai Inua Mohammed, a chieftain of the National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, urged the NPA and management of the e-call-up system to integrate some satellite truck parks for more efficiency.
According to him, some members of the association have satellite parks.
He said that as an association that cuts across the 36 states and Abuja, NARTO members from all parts of the country used the parks to harbour trucks.
Mohammed noted that trucks stayed in the satellite parks before securing approval to get to the Lilypond and Tincan Port parks.
“The e-call-up that started on Saturday is long overdue.
“We believe that, if well managed and sustained, it will eradicate all the bottlenecks along the port corridors, improve on the ease of doing business and restore our ports’ lost glory,” he said.
He said that the association believed that challenges encountered in the system would be overcome soon.
Mohammed urged governments to look into alleged harassment of truckers by hoodlums pretending as security agents to disturb truckers seeking to access garages.
NAN reports that the e-call-up system, instituted by NPA, started on Feb. 27.
It will be powered by a web application called Eto and will put an end to perennial logjam caused by articulated trucks within the port corridors.
It will bring transparency and orderliness in truck movement as scheduling is done automatically on first-come, first-serve basis.
NAN
