Truckers, under the auspices of the Committee of Maritime Truck Unions and Association, (COMTUA), have written to the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) about their plans to stage a peaceful protest against trucker extortion between October 4th and 6th.
This was stated in a letter written by the National President of COMTUA, Adeyinka Aroyewun, to the Managing Director of NPA, Muhammad Bello-Koko.
The letter was copied to the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osibanjo; the Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman; and the Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, amongst others.
Aroyewun stated in the letter that the association would stage a peaceful protest within and around the port corridor and the governor’s office of Lagos State between Tuesday, October 4th and Wednesday, October 6th, 2022. He stated;
“This became necessary as a result of the failure of your office to address the following issues raised in our previous letters.”
According to the president of the COMTUA, military trucks involved in the return of empty containers received preferential treatment. He explained that some trucks are admitted to pregates, giving them an advantage over their members.
The statement further pointed the high cost of call-up as another problem facing the group.
“There are also the high cost of call-up and the Illegal deduction from our wallet in the name of demurrage by Truck Transit Park. The expansion of garages for favoritism by your management and TTP is also a problem. Harassment of truckers by law enforcement agencies and many more is also going on.”
It is important to note that the COMTUA has written a series of letters to the NPA and has even threatened to sue the association over extortion and breach of agreement on the electronic call-up system, yet all seem to have fallen on deaf ears as no action has been taken to ameliorate the strain on the association.
