Truck associations warn drivers against inducing security agents with bribes

By ZION Olalekan

Truck owners associations in the maritime sector- Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMARTO) and the Amalgamation of Container Truck Owners Association of Nigeria (ACTOAN)- have warned truck owners and drivers to desist from inducing security operatives at the ports with bribe.

Chairman of AMARTO, Chief Remix Ogungbemi blamed truck drivers for the alleged extortion at the ports.

One of the truck drivers, Anthony Efe, confirmed to Nigeriamaritime360.com that drivers had to pay as much as N60,000 in some cases in order to allow their trucks entrance into the port.

He alleged that failure to come up with this payment, the drivers would spend several days waiting on the queue while his colleagues would be having easy access.

The AMARTO Chairman however has said that “It is truck owners and drivers who disburse monies to these overzealous security operatives out of frustration or just to save time but this has to stop and that was what gave birth to the committee which is expected to commence operations next week”.

Ogungbemi also revealed that henceforth, respite has come for truck drivers as the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) has introduced a manual truck call-up system that would see only trucks with specific business at the ports allowed to ply the port access roads.

He informed that the initiative is in collaboration with terminal operators.

On his part, Chairman of ACTOAN, Mr. Leye Thompson alleged that truck owners and their drivers are responsible for influencing and inducing security agents at Nigerian ports with money in order to get undue advantage over other trucks on queue and shunting.

Speaking further, Mr. Thompson said, “I don’t believe the task force is extorting anybody, it is a joint group of government agencies, and the chairman of the task force is Rear Admiral Eyo, this is a man that has a listening ear.

“I have sacrificed severally to be on the road to see if they are really extorting money, but I don’t see anywhere they ask you money before you cross, but because truckers are always in a hurry, they offer money to the security agents, you cannot blame the security guys for that, it is the drivers and truck owners that come to them and influence them with money” he said.