A coalition of truck operators under the auspices of Joint Council of Seaport
Truckers (JCOST) has blamed terminal operators for the recent truck accident
that tilted off the Ojuelegba bridge last week killing three people.
Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Road Transport Employers
Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Truck Terminal Users Association, Truck Drivers
Unit (TDU) of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN) and Association of
Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO).
yesterday, the Chairman of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi said terminal operators
do not posses necessary equipment for loading of containers on truck at the
ports that is why containers fall frequently.
The AMATO chairman said, “The terminal operators too have not being doing
enough in the area of providing necessary equipment to make sure that the
trucks are well loaded and to even certify trucks suitable for carrying certain
weight of goods.”
government was part of the factors responsible for falling of trucks on the
highway even as he said that the state of the roads were not good for vehicles
to move safely.
Ogungbemi pointed out that the government has failed to play its own role by
providing suitable roads for their trucks to move and therefore should lay the
entire blame on the truck drivers alone.
He added that the recent container that fell at Ojuelegba could be as a result
of the state of the bridge because according to him, the bridge is tilted and
could have caused the falling of the container.
“The coalition of truck operators within the state that also represents
other truck operators across the nation have resolved in today’s meeting that
we are not fighting government because the government is our government and it
is our wish and prayer both the state and federal government will succeed and
anyone who loves the government will not do anything that will have a negative
effect on the government.
“But as a result of the policy that the state government has decided to
start implementing as regards the movement of trucks within the state so we
have decided to withdraw our services until when the environment is conducive
for us to operate.
“As I speak, our intention formerly was to mellow down and see how things
unfold but as I speak, we have started seeing sporadically some uniform men in
military uniform, task forces arresting our members.
He however quipped that the association highlighted the implications of such
decisions of working at night even as he stated that most of the warehouses
where the trucks supply goods do not operate at night.
The coalition which said it regretted the rate at which the trucks were falling
added that it had already started looking inwards to put up modalities to check
mate members in conjunction with the regulations and policies that the
authorities would put in place to ensure safety of lives and property.
Mr. Kayode Odunowo said that members have decided to withdraw their services
because the Lagos state directive would expose their members to dangers but
would also not be comfortable for them to load their trucks in the night.
The chairman JCOST who doubles as the Deputy State
Chairman of NARTO said that the strike was inevitable as all plea with the
Permanent Secretary fell on deaf ears during a meeting recently.
“I think you are all aware of the latest development on Lagos roads; the
pronouncement of the Lagos state government that container carrying trucks
should not ply the roads between 6am and 9pm.
“On Monday we went to Ikeja to see the PS (Permanent Secretary), we held a
meeting with him and told him the implications behind all those decisions and
he said there was nothing he could do and that the decision was final.
“So, after all said and done, I asked him personally what is going to be
the effect if we are not working between 6am and 9pm. I told him it is not
possible for us to load containers in the night. Even when we load during the
day, they still burgle our trucks,” he stated.
