Roland Ekama, Lagos
Management of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos Port Complex (LPC) has banned the collection of levies and tolls from officials of the Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Association (COMTUA) from its members along the port access roads.
The Port Manager, LPC , Mrs B.O. Olotu said this in a statement made available to DAILYFOCUS NEWS ONLINE correspondent in Lagos on Friday.
Olotu who condemned the act, stated that the collection has increased the traffic situation along the port corridor as well as increasing the cost of cargo clearance at the port.
The Port Manager ordered COMTUA executives to collect the levies at their various registered truck parks from where trucks are called to come to the port and not on the port corridor, saying the authority would not hesitate to take drastic measures in addressing situation.
The National Council of Managing Directors of Licensed Customs Agents (NCMDLCA) had written to the Authority intimating it of the collection of dues along the port access road.
The circular reads, “The concerns raised in the letter are noted especially the report that Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations were collecting membership dues on thebportbaccess roads. More so as it increased gridlock which all stakeholders are trying to eliminate.
“It is pertinent to inform you that the Nigerian Port Authority, Lagos Port Complex management had observed the collection of tolls by COMTUA members on the port access roads and had immediately dispatched both the Traffic Manager and the port Security Officer to locations where collections occurred and the union officials of COMTUA were stopped from toll collection on the port access roads.
“However, we advised COMTUA that they may consider toll collection at the various registered truck parks from where trucks are called to come to the port.
“The official has been withdrawn since Wednesday 10th July, 2019.
“We want to assure you and all stakeholders that the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority will not condone any act that will inhibit free flow of traffic on the port access roads including the collection of any tools,” she said.
On his part, Head of Operations, COMTUA,Alhaji Inuwa Abdullahi denied knowledge of the letter from the NPA
saying , “Infact i am just hearing it from you now,no official letter from the NPA management to us as regard to that.
“Yes we went out on Tuesday,9th July 2019 base on observation by our members that some numbers of trucks that exists from the Apapa port were turned back because of none call up .
“And we mobilized our task force men to cleared them out of the road.
“On the process we decided to test run our ticketing on our trucks queueing and waiting for clearance from NPA security on duty as the trucks were being releases accordingly in order to decongest the road.
“But in the process we got to notice that two trucks were delaying the process as the NPA security officer was insisting that those trucks must be turned back and one man who claimed to be the deputy president of National Council of Managing Directors has four consignments of the trucks all following each other on the queue to have genuine call up to access to the port while two have none which were the once the NPA security officer was insisting they must turn back.
“We all joined efforts with the security enforcement officers to make sure the remaining two trucks were turned back and the man (Deputy president) became angry that he deserves access to pass his trucks to the port even without call up .
