The stakeholders meeting convened on Wednesday in Lagos to address the ongoing strike by truck
operators ended in a stalemate, as no resolution was reached to end the strike.
operators ended in a stalemate, as no resolution was reached to end the strike.
At a point,the truck operators, walked out of the meeting held in Apapa, in annoyance.
The Chairman, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Chief Remi Ogungbemi, said the meeting was expected to continue on Thursday in the office of the General Manager, Western Ports in Apapa.
At the meeting were the representatives of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Shippers’ Council and two groups of truck owners (AMATO and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria – RTEAN).
Ogungbemi said the restriction of the time of their operation by the Lagos State Government was not tenable as terminal operators and shipping companies did not work at night.
He described the restriction order as `rather biased’ against truck operators as tankers carrying oil were allowed to move at anytime.
Mr. Anthony Agbanose, Deputy Chairman, Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Tin-Can Island Chapter, accused the Lagos State Transport Management Authority (LASTMA) of unnecessarily going after truck drivers, which led to accidents several times.
Agbanose also blamed the incessant falling off of containers from moving trucks on the deplorable roads across the city.
He said it would be better if the restriction order was not placed on only a selected category of trucks.
Mr. Cajetan Agu, who is in charge of compliance and monitoring at the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, told truck operators to keep to the agreement they reached at a meeting with the state government at Alausa, Ikeja.
Agu said while the stakeholders had gathered to work out the possibility of calling off the strike, the truck operators should ensure they would henceforth maintain their trucks.
He said the truck operators should also be prepared to keep to using the ‘service lane’ and drive under the bridge.
Agu said he was sure the state government would rescind the restriction order if and when truck operators submitted the letter indicating their willingness to keep to the agreement reached.
Responding, the truck operators said they were on their way to submitting the letter to the office of the Permanent Secretary in Alausa.
Lamenting the plight of shippers, President of the Shippers Association Lagos State (SALS) Mr. Jonathan Nicol, demanded that the Shippers’ Council looked into the problem of who would pay the demurrage for locked-up containers.
The Commissioner of Police, Port Police Command, Mrs Hilder Ibifuro-Harrison, said the police would ensure maintenance of the law, even as the law banning truck movement during the day had existed since 2012.
She said government had the right and responsibility of protecting its citizens and the police would work in that line with a human face.
The commissioner of police said that security would always be provided to enable the economy move forward.
Ibifuro-Harrison said it was not good that work had been on hold for two weeks, adding that it would be very demanding for all stakeholders by the time they resume work.
FT Global Ltd. represented by Chief Chris Orode, said a ‘call-up’ system must be put in place to ensure sanity in the operations of the trucks.
Orode said a truck park had been secured and they had been discussing with the NPA, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, and the state government to ensure a healthy business environment.
Representing the Greenview Terminals, Mr Yakubu Abdullahi, blamed the truck operators.
Abdullahi said the company had been paying demurrage on vessels, adding that production had been difficult since the company did not get its cargo delivery
on time.
He urged stakeholders to be transparent on all issues affecting each other and solicited government’s support to fix the port access roads.
The General Manager, Western Ports, Chief Micheal Ajayi, said it was sad that trucks were falling and killing innocent people.
He said government was only carrying out its responsibility in protecting the citizens
by restricting movement of trucks to a particular time.
by restricting movement of trucks to a particular time.
Ajayi said truck operators could seek redress in court since the issue involved an existing law.
