AMATO Corroborates NARTO On Truckers Alleged Extortion, Indiscriminate Hijacking, Towing Of Trucks At Apapa And Tincan Axis By Traffic Enforcement Officers
By Trek Africa Newspaper
The Lagos State Administrative Secretary of Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) Mohamed Sani in an interview with journalist after the recent protest held by Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) lagos branch at the government state house in Alausa Ikeja on the 30th of June 2021, said traffic enforcement team makes money from the problem they were deployed to solve in the Apapa and Tincan axis while NPA are inconsistent with their policies for truckers.
Mohammed said when President Mohammed Buhari came to Apapa axis recently for the launching of the government railway system at Ebute metta, under 24 hours, everywhere was free of traffic. The roads were cleared. Immediately PMB left Apapa, the “artificial traffic”, checkpoints and extortion returned to port access roads. He further opined that,
“Why can’t they sustain the traffic sanity after exit of PMB from Apapa? They won’t do that because they are gaining from the traffic economy”. Mohammed asserts
In his view to substantiate the allegations raised by NARCO’s activists at the recent protest at state house in Lagos, he said
“The systematic extortion of truckers by traffic enforcement officer like Police, Lastma, Npa security and Frsc official is true and ongoing at various checkpoints in Apapa/Tincan logistics territory.
” Having ETO call up ticket to access the port doesn’t immune a driver from being exploited by traffic enforcement officials along port access road.
“Drivers are forced to pay bribe or risk being turned back from accessing the port. And sometimes lastma or abandon team of Lagos State Government ministry of transport could be invited to come and tow or hijack truck from any driver that delays settlement of officials at check points.
“ABANDON team under the Lagos State Ministry of Transport, in a commando manner with area boys, Police and Soldiers do invade empty container holding bays at Amuwo Odofin to hijack trucks that have not committed any traffic offense following single lane to drop their empties. Many drivers have sustained bullet, bottle and matchet wounds from arising from barbaric act of Abandon Team.
“Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) are not consistent in the way and manner they churn out policies regardless of their implications on trucking business and the Nigerian economy.
“There was a time export containers were banned from entering the port without any valid reasons”. He said
Mohammed further asserts when asked what predicated reason behind alleged APMT’s provision of more spaces for empty containers than export containers in their yard as alleged during the protest.
“The operations of APMT, is very slow. They provide more space in their yard for empty containers than export containers which are suppose to generate foreign exchange for the Nigerian economy. Sometimes export containers are banned abruptly from accessing the port. The implication of the dastardly act is that Nigeria wouldn’t be able to generate foreign exchange. The local export industries would collapse. Thousands would loose their jobs. A set back to government policy of economic diversification through export promotion” He said.
In preventing the withdrawal of truckers activities at the port, Mohammed said
“We want government to checkmate the activities of traffic enforcement teams in all our port corridors. They are making profit from the problem they were deployed to solve which is traffic”.
