TTP firm laments deliberate destruction of E- call up infrastructure

Ayobami Adedinni

The management of the Truck Transit Park Limited, TTP has lamented the deliberate destruction of infrastructure used for e- call up system at Tin Can port.

You may recall that the electronic truck call-up system, known as ETO was introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in February 2021, to manage the movement of trucks around the port corridors in Apapa.

Prior to the deployment of this system, NPA and TTP, a technology company and owners of the ETO solution had carried out sensitisation campaign since October 2020 on how the system works, how it will create more opportunities for truck transporters and ultimately improve the nation’s economy.

However, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Toni Anne Uwaifo and obtained by NigeriaMaritime360, the firm lamented that touts and some malicious actors have continued to sabotage the system.

It stated that its staff on ground at the exit gates of Tin Can have been threatened by touts who vowed to pull down the barrier just so they could carry out their illegal activities of entry and exit into the ports without ETO call-up.

In a video sent to our correspondent, a Caterpillar truck driver on Tuesday, 12th October, was seen to have deliberately rammed into the access barrier at the Abuja exit gate of Tincan Island port, destroying the infrastructure.

The driver had claimed his brakes had failed. However, in the video after the accident, he was however seen driving the truck steadily and in control.

Checks by our correspondent from the video confirmed that the Caterpillar truck driver approached the barrier from the side of the barrier, not in front or from behind, he drove from the side, a rather awkward angle.

Interestingly, the Caterpillar truck does not proceed towards the concrete fence just beyond the barrier, a fact that would be evident if it was indeed a case of failed braking system.

The management however confirmed that the Caterpillar truck driver has been apprehended and handed over to the police while adding that “The open sabotage of the call-up system is a sad development and a stark reminder of how rife corruption is in our society”.