Transport
Apapa Gridlock: Ignorance of truckers responsible for ETO failure – TTP
By Seun Ibiyemi
Designers and Managers of ETO truck call-up system, Trucks Transit Parks (TTP) Limited, aimed at containing Apapa gridlock have lamented poor compliance by truck owners/drivers as well as a deviant resistance from an extortion industry worth a hundred million naira daily before the deployment of the electronic system for continued maritime traffic congestion.
Speaking with the media in Lagos, the Chief Operating Officer of TTP, Mr. Temidayo Adeboye, said that some actions of the truckers to circumvent ETO are fuelled by ignorance of the gains the new operational method would deliver to transporters if wholly embraced.
Adeboye who revealed that it took his company more than six years of painstaking research to understand Apapa Gridlock and build the electronic solution deployed in February 2021, said 50% of Apapa traffic were bound to the ports, adding that the focus is to effectively regulate the maritime traffic and solve half the problem.
“We have been researching Apapa for over six years and now understand the demographics of different truck traffic which can be categorized into three major parts, namely; the maritime traffic, oil and gas traffic; the FMCG’s (fast-moving consumer goods), manufacturers and freelancers.
“Holistically, we couldn’t take these segments at once, so we believed that if we are able to solve the problem for the largest single demographic among these three categories, it means that half of the problem will be resolved.
“It’s been tough. We had to build everything from the scratch. We couldn’t go out to buy a solution off the shelf since there is no country in the world with this particular type of port problem. We had to go round, visit places, take best practices and come here to develop our indigenous solution in Nigeria and by Nigerians,” he stated.
Noting the improvement in the flow of traffic, the COO said that the extortion industry whose earnings on the Port Access road was put at 100million naira daily before the introduction of ETO is being contained as more trucks are captured in the call-up system.
He said expectations are that the problem of corruption will be tackled once there is free-flow of traffic to and from the port.
“The extortion industry in this Apapa is about a hundred million a day. That is what it used to be. If we can fix 50% of the problem, nobody can extort money from port-bound truckers,” he said.
He disclosed that while other types of trucks have been streamlined and allocated time belts in a bid to ensure all trucks on ETO platform get into the ports within 24 hours of booking, export trucks have posed a major problem, challenging the entire project.
Adeboye who insisted that the ease of traffic in Apapa largely depends on effectively regulating the movement of export cargo and disclosed that NPA in tackling the challenge is creating export zones, stating that “until we find a solution to the export problem, we can’t get to that 24-hour entry target. The export problem is really abhorring.”
He said the cooperation of stakeholders and adherence to the policy and the time guideline would help a great deal.
“If everybody can just do the right thing, everybody will transit within 24hours. But right now, what we are seeing is a maximum of 48 hours if it is not an export container,” he said.
He also blamed the slow start of ETO on transporters who failed to heed the initial call to register as only 120 truckers with 2,000 trucks registered and attended their training but a week after the deployment of the scheme, the number rose to 2000 transporters and 50,000 trucks.
“On the day we started, we managed to register 120 transporters and about 2000 trucks but after a week of kick-starting the process, we recorded over 50,000 trucks and more than 2000 transporters. This was possible because many port users couldn’t find a better means of accessing the port but to go through the system.
“So many people that didn’t come for the training and were still stuck in the old ways of doing things. A combination of these factors nearly crashed our system before we had to create various segments,” Adeboye explained.
It will be recalled that the electronic call-up system otherwise known as ETO, developed by Trucks Transit Parks (TTP) Limited and subscribed to by Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), is targeted at finding a lasting solution to Apapa gridlock largely caused by trucks to and from the Lagos Port Complex and the Tincan Island Port Complex. The program equally has the buy-in of the Lagos State Government and commenced operation on February 27, 2021.
Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced a reduction in the fare on the Blue line train to N375 from the actual N750 fare for a complete trip along the first phase.
This is with respect to the 50 per cent discount subsidy palliative from the Lagos State Government to ease the burden of rising cost of living on Lagos residents.
The Governor yesterday led hundreds of Lagosians, consisting of members of the public, the media, and other sectoral stakeholders to herald the commencement of commercial passenger operations of the first phase of the Lagos Blue Line rail services on Monday, September 4, 2023, with a train ride from the iconic Marina train station to the Mile 2 terminal station.
The Lagos Blue Line is one of the six identified Rail routes in the Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Masterplan designed to alleviate challenges of mass transit across the city of Lagos. It would be recalled that the electricity powered high-speed metro train system was commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari on January 24, 2022, while the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), through its Managing Director, Engineer Abimbola Akinajo, had announced the much-awaited take-off of passenger operations at a press conference on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
The Governor, who attended the milestone occasion along with the Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat; the First Lady, Dr. (Mrs.) Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, and other dignitaries in the State expressed excitement over the commencement of the Blue Line rail saying, “It’s been a wonderful experience personally for me this morning, and for almost all the 500 passengers.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu assured Lagosians of maximum security, safety, and convenience on the train.
“As you can see, the whole place is well secured. There are men of the Nigerian Police, there are Neighourhood Watch. And they also have private security operatives that are all there. The stations are clean, and we are all good to go. With your Cowry Card you are good to go. So, let’s go out there and get our Cowry Card and top it up so we can enjoy integrated urban mass transportation system that we have talked about,” he urged Lagosians.
Passengers are only allowed to get on the train with the Cowry Card or the LASSRA Identification Card.
The Governor also charged Lagosians to be safety conscious and conduct themselves with utmost care around the infrastructure, noting that the train tracks are electrified and therefore should not be crossed for any reason, neither for buying nor selling purposes.
Governor Sanwo-Olu took the opportunity to provide update to Lagosians on the first phase of the Red Line, another route of the LRMT running from Agbado to Oyingbo.
“The Red Line is about 95 percent ready, and when it gets to 100 percent, we will commission it. We are certain that before the end of the year, we will commission the Red Line,” he said.
“By the end of this month we will start commissioning the bridges: Ikeja-Along Bridge, Oyingbo Bridge, Yaba Bridge, Mushin Bridge, Ayoola-Coker Bridge. We will start opening the bridges for vehicular movement,” he disclosed.
Three trains are available for the Blue Line operations now, with each having a capacity to move 1,000 passengers per trip and an estimated combined total of 150,000 passengers daily.
Daily services on the first phase of the Blue Line will start from 6:30 am for the Mile-2 to Marina trip, and 7:03 am for the return. With stops at the Alaba, Iganmu, and National Theatre stations, the 13-km stretch takes less than 30 minutes on the Lagos Blue Line.
SIFAX Logistics Company Limited, the haulage subsidiary of SIFAX Group, has boosted its operations with the acquisition of 13 brand new trucks.
The trucks, which are 33 tons 6×4 MAN diesel vehicles with 400 horsepower, will help the company increase its market share and competitiveness in long-distance and interstate deliveries. This acquisition now brings the trucks in the company’s fleet to 114.
According to Adewale Adetayo, General Manager, SIFAX Logistics Company Limited, the truck additions became necessary due to the upsurge in demand for the company’s haulage services across the country.
He said, “In order to maintain our market dominance and expansion to various new routes within the country, management decided to embark on the purchase of these new trucks.
“Our target is to expand rapidly and we have mapped out a strategic plan to acquire 200 new trucks before the end of the 2024 business year.
“This will be done in phases and we have started with 13 for now. We hope to buy another 20 in the next phase of our acquisition plan.”
Speaking on the brand of trucks purchased, Adetayo said the company went for the MAN diesel brand, which is a German product, because of its high rating in the logistics ecosystem, durability, load-bearing capability, driving stability and adaptability.
Dr. Taiwo Afolabi, Chairman, SIFAX Group noted that the company has always braved the odds to invest more in the Nigerian economy during downtimes.
“We are aware many businesses are not favourably disposed to investing at this moment due to the prevailing economic reality. But the reality is that some economic activities like production and movement of goods will almost always demand for haulage services even in challenging times.
“We are scaling up through the acquisition of these trucks because of the huge potential in the industry.
“The economic outlook for the country is looking bright and we know that once the economy bounces back, we would reap the rewards of our investments.
“Many businesses, both existing and potential clients, continue to reach out to us due to the credibility and efficiency we have achieved over the years. To meet these agreements, we need a larger fleet,” he noted.
By Seun Ibiyemi
The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Mr Adegboyega Oyetola has said he will ensure oceans and marine were safe, reliable, and sustainable across the nation.
Oyetola made the declaration when he assumed office on Monday in Abuja.
According to him, oceans hold the key to sustainable economic growth, environmental preservation, and technological innovation.
“Our oceans cover more than two-thirds of African planet’s surface.
“As we look ahead, my vision is rooted in the responsible management and utilisation of our marine resources to benefit not only our economy but also the health of our planet.
“Experts say the blue economy is estimated to be worth more than 1.5 trillion Dollars per year globally.
“Therefore, given our size as a country and considering the size of our blue economy, we should be a significant player in this sector,” the minister said.
He said the sector has potentials to contribute immensely to revenue generation and provide jobs for the unemployed.
He said the nation ought to come up with practicable ways of ensuring the nation‘s inland rivers, lakes, and waterways were well utilised, both in terms of cargo shipment and passenger transportation.
“And this can be done by embarking on a holistic dredging campaign for most of our strategically important inland waterways so as to make them navigable for the passage of goods and people.
“We equally have a duty to promote better inter-agency cooperation and coordination between the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the Nigerian Ports Authority, and the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority.
“As someone with a strong private sector background, we shall promote greater private sector inclusion while fostering greater efficiency through specialisation and the effective delineation of core duties between the units,” he said.
According to him, the nation will seize this opportunity to create positive change by leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come.
Oyetola called for cooperation of the staff toward national development.
“ I appreciate your dedication, and I look forward to working alongside each of you in the pursuit of a better Nigeria. I must say that I am privileged to be joining this amazing team as the team leader.
“I want you to know that I am here to support you, to listen to your ideas, and to champion the growth of our marine resources. Together, we shall embark on a journey that holds immense promise and responsibility.
“ I believe that when we are able to do all these and more, we will have contributed our own quota toward realising the President’s renewed Hope Agenda in the Marine and Blue Economy sector,” he said.
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