Acting Managing Director of the Nigeria Ports Authority, Mohammed Bello-Koko, has lamented the agonising gridlock on the Apapa road leading to the ports, which has lingered despite various measures made to address the problem.
Although he said the electronic call-up (of trucks) introduced by the authority had brought some sanity into the system, he noted that bad Tin Can road and multiple checkpoints were frustrating the effort.
Bello-Koko, who spoke with newsmen in Lagos, said the gridlock had defied solutions “for more than 10 years now.”
He said, “The Tin Can corridor is bad. We have had discussions with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to ensure that the construction company deploys its gadgets to start construction around that area.
“We have also complained about multiple checkpoints which we have tried to reduce because it is bringing a lot of extortions and creating a lot of traffic.
“The final issue is the stakeholders themselves; they need to buy into this. I keep saying that the worst of ETO is better than the best of the last system that we were using.”
He said as much as priority should be given to the export cargo, the gridlock at Apapa area had made this a difficult task.
He said, “One of the first executive actions I took when I was appointed was to visit the Tin Can Apapa corridor to ensure that the right things are done and the right infrastructure is deployed. We are getting there gradually.
“We have put in some measures to minimise the congestion in and around the ports. NPA was using a manual manifest and call-up system, which was not very effective because of human interference. We have brought in ETO (electronic call-up system) to ensure smooth inward and outward movement of cargo from the port.”
The NPA boss also said, “The idea was to ensure that all trucks coming in are supposed to move from trailer parks to Lilly Ponds than to the port.
“They were supposed to have deployed some physical and electronic infrastructure but that was not done. When I was appointed, I gave them an ultimatum to ensure that those items were installed as quickly as possible. I can assure you today that there has been more deployment of assets by TTP.
“I also requested that we need to sit down and reappraise what they have achieved. incidentally. ETO was 90 days old when I resumed. We analyzed to see where we are, what has been achieved and we identified where the gaps were. So, what I did was push for immediate implementation of the agreement between us and TTP.”
Bello-Koko also spoke on enforcement, adding, “We liaised with the Lagos State Government to ensure that we have the right security operatives on the ground.
“We have also collaborated with Lagos State Government through Lagos State Transport Management Agency, LASMA, which has brought sanity to the system.
“Because of our intense focus, there is improvement. There is a better flow of traffic. But let me finally say that the major hindrance to ETO is the road.
He said some people were sabotaging the NPA’s efforts, saying, “What we have observed is interference by government agencies and the stakeholders themselves.
“Rather than pay the ETO ticket, they find a way to bring in military men. You find out that at night, military men escort vehicles which is sabotage.
“The stakeholders need to buy into the ETO system. We have had town hall meetings with stakeholders to let them understand that this is a system that we are not going to change. The world has gone automated, so we need to reduce human interference.”