Following the recent fall of a 20 feet container on a commercial bus in Ojuelegba area of Lagos leading to the death of nine occupants of the commercial bus, truckers under the aegis of the Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA) have blamed the safety audit carried out by the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) as a major reason rickety trucks still come to pick cargoes at the ports.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune exclusively, President of COMTUA, Prince Adeyinka Aroyewun, explained that the manner and process through which approval is granted to trucks to pick cargoes at the port is fraught with irregularities.
According to Prince Aroyewun, “The reason we have so many rickety trucks at the ports picking up containers is down to the way and manner trucks are certified by relevant authorities to go inside the ports to pick cargoes.
“These rickety trucks are certified by both the Lagos State government and the NPA before they are allowed to go into the ports to pick containers. The Minimum Safety Standard (MSS) certification is being carried out by the Truck Transit Parks (TTP) on behalf of the NPA. This means that every truck that passes through the electronic call-up must have already been certified before picking up containers at the ports.
“We have observed over time that the MSS certification is done without proper checks and balances by relevant authorities. Trucks without requisite qualifications are often found with the MSS stickers and thus access the port freely.
“We have many trucks that are not registered and are rickety but are on the ETO platform. These trucks, after paying the mandatory N10,000, get the MSS stickers and are allowed to go and pick containers inside the ports.
“No trucker association is allowed to observe the process of inspection before these trucks are given the MSS stickers. Before the commencement of the MSS certification, the truckers’ associations were told that they will act as observers during truck inspection. But today, I can tell you that we are not allowed to see anything before trucks are given the MSS stickers.
“What do we have today? Vehicle registration numbers without vehicles and vehicles without registration numbers are often registered for the MSS stickers for the purpose of using it for call-up.
“Nobody inspects any truck before the MSS stickers are issued. It is unfortunate that the recent container that fell on a commercial bus in Lagos, resulting in the death of nine occupants, would happen so soon.
“How come many trucks without lock keys are allowed to load cargoes at the ports? How come many trucks without lock keys have MSS stickers on them? The lock key is supposed to grip the container to the truck, but what do we have? We see containers dangling on the back of trucks along Lagos roads, threatening innocent lives and properties.”
