The Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC) has called on the Federal and State governments to provide security backup to support the committee’s efforts to sanitise the ports access roads of indiscriminate parking of trucks and resistance by hoodlums.
The committee embarked on a road clearance operation to enhance the free flow of traffic from Mile 2 to Tin Can Island port and Liverpool axis for trade facilitation, seamless evacuation of cargoes and ease of doing transportation business.
The committee has succeeded in forming a single-lane policy for containerised trucks from Mile 2 inwards Tin Can port gate. However, the committee has continued to face harassment and resistance from hoodlums sponsored by unions.
The Guardian learnt that these oppositions are those allegedly behind the artificial gridlock and extortion points along the port corridor.The Chairman of the Committee, Lukman Shittu, called on the state and federal governments to provide security backup to support the committee in achieving ease of doing business at the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports.
He said port users are already losing billions due to the gridlock causing delays and the extortion points mounted at the port corridors. Shittu said the committee will continue to carry out the road clearance exercise to achieve ease of movement for truckers and other road users.
“We volunteered ourselves to make haulage business easy in the state. The committee has been outside for four days to ensure the roads are cleared and for containerised cargoes to access the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports and leave the ports to their destination,” he said.
Also speaking, the General Secretary, LASTCOC, Mohammed Sani, said the committee has succeeded in forming a single lane policy for containerised trucks from Mile 2 inwards Tincan port gate.
He said the major challenge is the petroleum tankers that are not complying with the single-lane policy in their depots.
Sani said if the tanker drivers would comply with the single-lane policy in their depots, traffic congestion on Mile 2- Tin Can axis would become a thing of the past.
He called on the Federal and State governments as well as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) and relevant stakeholders to support the committee’s effort for sustainable traffic sanity and orderliness in Mile 2-Tin Can logistics corridors.
Meanwhile, the trucking community has expressed satisfaction with the progress of the committee’s activities as mandated by the State government to rid the port access road of blockades.
One of the truckers, Idris Oloriodo, called on the government to assist the committee with security to sanitise the port totally to enable other road users to access it.
Another trucker who gave his name as Kabiru, appreciated the single lane created by the committee, noting that for the last two weeks, the roads were blocked with vehicles on a standstill.
“There was no movement for trucks nor other smaller vehicles and even motorcycles. We have been suffering on this road. This free flow of traffic achieved now will ease our pains. This success achieved needs to be maintained,” he said.
