Port Congestion Looms As Truckers Threaten Strike

Truckers operating at the seaports have condemned the new Lagos State Traffic Law which restricts the movement of trucks in the state to between 9p.m to 6a.m.

The truck operators, who took turns to speak at a sensitisation forum jointly organised by the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), National Association of Truck Owners (NATO), Coalition of Seaport Truckers (COST) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), expressed displeasure over the law, saying that if implemented, the nation’s economy will be the worse for it.

Members of the unions, who described the law as obnoxious, said the implementation of the law will lead to port congestion, adding that the 24 hours which they currently operate is not enough to move consignments from the ports.

Chairman of AMATO, Chief Remi Ogungbemi, said the law is a deliberate attempt to cripple Nigerian economy and throw his members out of business. He noted that if government wanted  to implement the law it must create the enabling environment by providing the necessary security measures that will ensure that both the cargoes and the truck drivers are safe within the given period.

Ogungbemi also said that government must also put the roads within the metropolis in proper shape so that vehicles do not break down at nights thereby endangering the cargoes and the lives of truck drivers.

He appealed to members of the various associations to put aside their respective association’s affiliation and come to together in order to present a formidable case to the government by making the state government to see reasons the law is not workable at the moment.

However, the AMATO boss noted that government has good intentions in enacting the law. He said the present working environment in the state does not give room for the full implementation of the law.

The Chairman of COST, Mr. Kayode Odunowo, said truck operations at night is risky, considering the present security situation of the country.

According to him, there is nowhere in the world where the movement of truck is restricted to night. He called on truck operators irrespective of their associations to join forces to move against the law.

The National Secretary of AMATO, Chiaka Nwaogu, said members of the association have been relegated to the background a number of times when decisions about their operations are taken because they are not consulted but are forced to comply with the law.

—Esther Komolafe