How extortion by traffic managers worsens Apapa gridlock, fuels cost of haulage

Importers, clearing agents and truck owners have cried out over the ever worsening gridlock on the port access roads in Lagos, especially along the Tin-can Island Port Complex (TCIPC), alleging massive extortion.

They say in addition to the poor condition of the port access roads, extortion by security and traffic control officials remains the major cause of the unending gridlock along the Apapa-oshodi Expressway.

Some truck drivers who spoke with Businessday on Wednesday expressed deep frustration, alleging that officials of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) Security Department, police and the Presidential Task Team deployed to manage traffic in the area demand huge sums of money as bribes from them before their trucks are granted access into the port.

A recent investigation by Businessday revealed a wellorganised racketeering going on in the port city involving trucks drivers, security agencies and government officials operating in the port city. At the Tin-can Island Port Complex, Businessday found that security agencies extort between N70,000 and N200,000 per truck before such trucks are allowed into the port.

This has ensured unending gridlock in the port city and has negatively affected port operation as cargo delivery has been considerably slowed down, resulting in sudden rise in haulage and shipping cost, thereby fuelling inflation in the country.

Sanni Bala, a truck owner and an executive member of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), said the security agents including members of the Task Team demand huge sums of money ranging from N70,000 to N200,000, depending on the ‘bargaining power’ of the truck driver, before allowing them into the port.

“The issue of unlawful extortion by NPA security officials, police and the Presi

dential Task Team along Apapa and Tin-can Port road has become a daily occurrence and an institutionalised phenomenon that is taking a serious toll on the income of truck owners and exacerbating the plight of motorists on that axis,” Bala said.

“The issue of traffic on the access road is artificial and caused by human factor because without the traffic, there is no how they can extort people, so they have to create the traffic by delaying truckers,” he said.

He said the extortion has left many truckers with nothing to take home and maintain their trucks, which, he said, is why there are rickety trucks on the roads.

Hadiza Bala Usman, NPA managing director, last weekend admitted that the port industry has been battling with the issue of extortion where truckers are forced to part with money before they could be allowed into the port.

“I’m aware of the issue where people are giving police and other officials on the route to the port money to enable them have access into the port,” the NPA managing director said during a live interview on Channels TV’S Sunrise Daily.

“Aside, I’m not aware of any other incidents of corruption inside the port as relates to the clearance of cargo. That is while we are planning to introduce electronic call-up system for trucks to eliminate human interference in management of truck movement in the port area,” she said.

Kayode Opeifa, executive vice chairman of the Presidential Task Team, also said in a recent interview with Businessday that a lot of corrupt activities were happening on the port access roads, adding part of the reasons the team was not succeeding was because “corruption is fighting back”.

Remi Ogungbemi, chairman of AMATO, said what is happening at Tin-can has become ‘the more you look, the less you see’.