Why Lagos Port transport union seeks disbandment of Presidential Task Force

Transporters at the Apapa seaports have called on the Federal Government to disband the Presidential Task Force (PTF) set up by President Muhammadu Buhari over a year ago to curtail the perennial gridlocks, alleging extortion.But the Executive Vice Chairman of the PTF, Kayode Opeifa, said the allegations are false. The transporters under the umbrella of Logistics Practitioners Association of Nigeria (LPAN), appealed to the federal government to look into the plight of transporters and truck owners on the Tin Can Island route to the Lagos seaport, stating that the traffic congestion to the port is not any better than what it used to be before the coming of the PTF. The LPAN Public Relations Officer (PRO), Tunde Oyebola, said the task force was initially set up for two weeks operations to clear the gridlocks, which he said was extended to four weeks in 2019 when it could not accomplish its mandate. He said the tenure of the task force has since elapsed; arguing that since there was no further extension to their time, their continous operation is illegal.Oyebola accused the task force of allegedly creating road blocks to promote extortion, adding that the operatives purportedly  keep trucks on long queue and give preference to their priority trucks. According to Oyebola transport operators allegedly part with huge sum to be allowed access to the Ports without issuance of receipts for the payments. He said, “We are not sure the money the Task Force collects from our members and other stakeholders, which amount to millions of Naira is remitted to the Federal Government or the Lagos State government.”We request that every officer on the team be investigated. We have already submitted petitions against them to the EFCC and the IGP for thorough investigations.”He said that transporters decided to move containers in badges through waterways from Mile 2 to the Ports to save time as against the long time it takes to reach the Ports, but the initiative he stated was blocked by the Task Force operators who seized trucks going to the water terminal.”While we commend President Muhammadu Buhari on the initiative to restore order at the Lagos Ports to improve the ease of doing business in the country, we are alerting the President that corruption has overtaken the purpose for which he appointed the PTF,” Oyebola said.The Executive vice chairman of the PTF, Kayode Opeifa debunking the allegations said that those making the allegations are corrupt agents fighting back after seeing the achievements of the task force in clearing the Apapa Gridlock to a reasonable level.
Opeifa stated that genuine truck owners are not having any problem passing their trucks to the port, noting that truck pushers who own no trucks are the ones extorting real truck owners. He said some intermediaries who were collecting dues from truck owners under the guise of unions but resisted by PTF in accordance with its mandate, are the ones blackmailing the body. Opeifa further explained that most transporters who do not have callups to the port diverted to sharp practices through the waterways to illegally move consignments. The PTF Executive Vice Chairman also said that trucks arrested for illegal parking or obstructing traffic that are towed to Transit Park only pay token of N3,000 to the towing company and about N2,000 fine or land use charge to Lagos State Government. Opeifa further said that the Task Force also discovered that some impersonators use the NPA, his name, the task force, to collect money from transporters, N5,000 at some points, N3,000 at other points.Opeifa acknowledged the tenure of the PTF but said there are official interactions with the federal government, Lagos State government and other stakeholders, expressing willingness to wind up whenever the President issues such directive.