The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has reiterated its support for the electronic call-up automation system introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to tackle gridlock on the Apapa and Tin-Can port access roads.
The Secretary-General of the association, Mr Mohammed Sani-Bala, made the call after a peaceful rally in Lagos on Thursday.
Sani-Bala commended the NPA for the initiative that had brought sanity to the port access roads.
The Secretary-General said that the manual call-up system was dead and buried, and any nostalgia for that era must give way to the reality of sustainable, tech-driven port logistics.
He said that the electronic call-up system was not just an application but a game-changer and a landmark achievement in the history of Nigeria’s maritime logistics.
The Secretary-General stated further that the impact of eliminating gridlock and improving traffic flow along logistics corridors had led to import and export cargoes being evacuated seamlessly.
He said: “On behalf of the trucking community, we wish to use this peaceful rally as a platform to express our profound gratitude to the management of NPA for the deployment of the system.
“This is also to appreciate the Lagos State Government for its vital role in enforcing compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures that underpin the system.
“The system is more than just an app, it is a game-changer and a landmark achievement in the history of Nigeria’s maritime logistics.
“It has ushered in a new era of automation, transparency, and efficiency in port access and truck scheduling, resolving the long-standing chaos and gridlock that plagued the Apapa and Tin Can Island logistics corridors for decades.
“Today, truckers can book port access slots remotely and affordably, from anywhere in the world, without the need to physically queue for days on end or engage with road cabals for access tags.
“This used to cost between N250,000 and N300,000, often without any certainty of progress. The system, at a flat rate of N21,500, has eliminated the extortion and exploitation that defined the manual era.”
Speaking further, Sani-Bala said the port corridors were now more fluid and the environment was more hospitable, with a rising value of properties.
He said that gridlock had eased, and sanity had returned to the roads.
Truckers no longer sleep in vehicles or die behind the wheel from exhaustion.
Sani-Bala said that import and export cargoes were evacuated seamlessly while businesses presently operate on schedule, adding that Apapa, once a ghost town, was vibrant again, with rising property values and restored community life.
He took a swipe at the recent campaign of calumny against the call-up system, saying their interest lies in reversing the clock to a time when truckers were extorted and exploited under the guise of port access facilitation.
“We are aware that some individuals are sponsoring a campaign of calumny against the Eto system.
Let it be known that these detractors are largely beneficiaries of the discredited manual system, now rendered irrelevant by automation.
“Their interest lies in reversing the clock to a time when truckers were extorted and exploited under the guise of port access facilitation.
“It is ironic, and frankly shameful, that those who once charged N250,000 to N300,000 for truck entry now accuse the N21,500 Eto system of being fraudulent.
“If they truly had truckers’ interests at heart, they would have implemented a fair and transparent system during their time,” the Secretary-General said.
He urged all members of the trucking community to remain vigilant, adding that the call-up automation was here to stay and they must resist all attempts to undermine the progress it represents.
