Going by the first time the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) made mention of introducing Truck Call-Up (TCU) policy as a credible solution to end Apapa gridlock, by second quarter of this year, the policy would have gone far in curtailing the menace.
Business Hilights recalls that at the very height of losses incurred by importers and exporters using the Lagos ports earlier last year, the NPA came up with the TCU and assured that it will take off before the end of the 2018 which never happened.
Checks by our correspondent revealed that the idea of the policy was developed with the believe that before every logistics issues surrounding the takeoff will be sorted out, the Federal Government would have completed and delivered the Truck Loading Bay in front of Tin Can Island Port gate, but the Bay is never delivered till now.
However, the NPA is now working on implementing the TCP scheme for trucks entering the ports for goods delivery from August this year on the premise that both yet to be Truck Loading Bay at Tin Can will be ready before then and that the Lilypond Terminal in Ijora, Lagos even though it is a dry port with a full-fledged command of customs and other security agencies, will be ready also.
NPA is said to be working on a strong signal that the Nigerian Customs will soon vacate the Lilypond Terminal Ijora as soon as possible for instant conversion to Loading Bay even as there are no definite information on when the Tin Can Truck Loading Bay will be delivered.
It was however, discovered that apart from the endless delivery of the Apapa Truck Loading Bay which started even during the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration, the need to protect the shoreline at the Tin Can Island port area, was another reason for the TCP scheme flag off.
Giving some explanations during a recently concluded training for select media executives in Ikeja, NPA’s General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communication, Engr Adams Jatto averred that “We have concluded the procurement process to be able to engage our investors to manage the truck park.
“So with this, I believe we should be able to have something on ground for people to be proud of. Call-up system is not just the areas we are looking at, for us to ease the congestion along ports access roads,” Jatto added.
