Committee of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA) has lamented that there are about 220 truck extortion points between Amuwo Odofun and Apapa Local Government
The Chairman of COMTUA, Adeyinka Aroyewun stated this while tackling claims that the officials of the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) have cleared all the illegal checkpoints within the port access roads.
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Aroyewun also stated that local truck owner may fizzle out of business just like indigenous ship owners are no longer in business because of foreign dominance of the business in Nigeria.
He added that security operatives stopping trucks on the roads, do not stop the foreign owned trucks hence importers prefer them to avoid their containers being stopped on the road.
He also said, in the next five years, the industry would have been taken over by foreigners because of the incentives they give importers and the sophistication of their trucks.
“I heard the ES saying vessels are owned by foreigners but I can tell you that in another five years trucks shall be owned by foreigners too.
“Let me use a shipping company for example. They own the terminal, the vessels and they also bring trucks to convey cargoes and the quality of services these trucks offer, no Nigerian services can offer it.
“As much as PSTT has removed FOU from the road, they removed them from Apapa but they are now in Ijesha stopping other people’s vehicles but will not stop these companies’ vehicles even if they are carrying dead bodies.
“Tell me which importers will not patronize them because the importer knows that whatever he has done whether correct or not will not be stopped on the road because of the relationship of his transporter with the Comptroller General or the President of the country.
“Will such importer leave such trucks and come to somebody that has two or three trucks?
“In addition to that, all these vehicles that they own, the moment you are booking their container from the country of origin, they will tell you they will give you demurrage free days if you allow X, Y, Z transport company to load your cargo.
“Most of the problems we have is insincerity of purpose.
“Like you said that from Apapa to SIFAX, the 26 checkpoints have been removed, says who? We are in this together. If anybody challenges me, I will mention these 26 points from Apapa to SIFAX outward the port.
“And if you have removed them, what about the 220 checkpoints between Amuwo and Apapa Local Government.
“So, what is wrong in the outward is right in the inward. I want to challenge everybody, we will lose this industry, we will lose this business.”
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