The continued refusal by truckers to use designated parks provided by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) at Onne Port is creating operational challenges and contributing to delays in cargo evacuation. The Traffic Manager at Onne Port, Mr. Siraj Agbolade, said four truck parks in and around the port were currently under-utilised. He said truck drivers instead preferred parking along roads and paying community youths, creating additional pressure on the port corridor.
According to Agbolade, the parks were established as transition areas where trucks are processed and scheduled to enter the port for cargo evacuation or loading through the Electronic Call-Up System. He said the NPA was concerned about the situation and had scheduled a meeting with stakeholders operating at Onne Port for this week. The meeting is expected to address the challenges and consider possible solutions to the problems affecting traffic and cargo movement.
The development comes amid tensions over the condition of roads serving the Onne Port corridor. Some transport unions and freight forwarders have threatened to withdraw their services if the roads are not rehabilitated as promised by the NPA.
The Chairman of the Onne branch of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Ifeanyi Isikaku, also raised concerns over the situation. In a statement titled “The Brink: Onne Freight Forwarders, Transporters Threaten Shutdown Over Road, E-Call-Up Crisis,” he warned that commercial activities along the corridor could be disrupted unless urgent action is taken to rehabilitate the roads.
The association said poor road conditions, indiscriminate truck parking and problems associated with the Electronic Call-Up System were creating mounting losses for freight forwarders, importers and transport operators.
Part of the statement reads: “The crisis engulfing the Onne Port corridor appears to be deepening, as freight forwarding associations and maritime transport operators have raised the alarm over what they describe as the deplorable condition of the port access roads, indiscriminate truck parking and mounting losses suffered by freight forwarders, importers and transport operators.
“For years, the Onne port corridor has served as a critical artery for the movement of cargo into and out of the Eastern maritime economy. But stakeholders say the deteriorating state of the road has transformed what should be a vital logistics corridor into a daily ordeal for truckers, freight forwarders, importers and residents.”
The stakeholders further alleged that trucks carrying valuable consignments had fallen or been involved in accidents along the corridor, resulting in losses running into millions of naira.
The statement added: “For businesses operating on tight delivery schedules, every additional day spent waiting on the road translates into additional costs, demurrage, vehicle maintenance, loss of business and, in some cases, damaged cargo.” The planned stakeholder meeting provides an opportunity for the NPA, truckers, freight forwarders and other operators to address the competing concerns surrounding Onne Port truckers, road conditions and cargo evacuation.
