In February 2021, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) engaged the Trucks Transit Parks (TTP) on a five-year contract to salvage the chaotic traffic situation plaguing the Lagos ports. With the contract in its final months, fieldworkers enforcing the electronic call-up are becoming agitated over possible lay-off, writes TOLA ADENUBI.

Prior to 2021, Apapa and Tin Can Island ports were overwhelmed with chaotic traffic congestion. Port-bound trucks congested bridges and highways, clogging routes from Apapa to Mile 2, Oshodi, and even Obanikoro. Every trucker, whether they had business or not in the ports, tried to get into the port, creating disorder along the port’s access roads. With confusion reigning supreme, non-state actors imposed illegal checkpoints, demanding fees of up to N300,000 per trucks along the port access roads.

At the peak of the Apapa traffic gridlock in 2018 and 2019, all measures put in place by the Federal Government to resolve the perennial problem failed until the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Trucks Transit Parks Limited (TTP) introduced the Electronic Call-Up System also known as Ètò in February 2021.

Since the launch of Ètò in 2021, truck queues have declined dramatically while some corridors have seen an 80 percent reduction in traffic chaos. According to data made available to newsmen during a recent media briefing by TTP, the electronic call-up system has scheduled over three million truck trips since inception in February 2021.

Workers panic

With the five-year contract signed between the NPA and TTP coming to an end by February 2026, many field officers working for the TTP are beginning to get worried over their jobs if a contract renewal is not announced before January 2026.

Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, a cross-section of workers at the Tin-Can Second Gate axis lamented that the uncertainty in the contract situation of TTP is making some of them seek alternatives elsewhere.

According to the workers who wouldn’t want their names in print out of fear of being victimised, “Every day we resume at work these days, the February 2026 deadline of the electronic call-up contract expiration seems closer than normal.

“Many are wondering why the contract renewal is dragging. Questions are being asked whether the NPA wants to engage another company to continue the electronic call-up system.

“Some of us are confused because if the NPA has not seen another company for the electronic call-up system, why will the agency allow the contract to wind down to the last three months? We are in November, and the Yuletide is upon us.

“After the Christmas and New Year celebrations, February 2026 will be upon us and many won’t know by then if they still have a job along the port access roads. The situation is confusing, but we are all praying that the contract is renewed so that our jobs can continue.

“The TTP has done so much in terms of the traffic situation at the ports. The chaotic era has gone, aside for the rehabilitation work that is ongoing on the Marine Bridge in Ijora, which has affected traffic movement in recent times. Once the rehabilitation works on the Marine Bridge is completed, normalcy will return. So, TTP deserves a contract renewal, and it’s important that there is clarity on the electronic call-up contract situation before the New Year.

“Many workers want clarity because of their jobs. As every day passes by without any news of a contract renewal, the fears keep mounting. Some of us are already counting days. By next month of December, it will be one month left before the final month of the contract expiration. It’s not an encouraging situation for workers at this moment.”

TTP calls for calm

While the workers on the field remain agitated over the safety of their jobs, the TTP has called for calm, stating that its workers are at the heart of the results that the company has achieved.

In a message sent to the Nigerian Tribune by the Administrative Manager at TTP, Nancy Nnamdi, the company stated that discussions on the renewal of TTP contract is ongoing with the NPA.

“Yes, discussions on the renewal of TTP’s contract with the Nigerian Ports Authority are ongoing. As with any major government contract, there is a defined process and timeline, and we are fully aligned with NPA on these engagements.

“It is also important to state that in almost five years of operating the Ètò call-up system, our performance has remained consistently strong. There is ample evidence of our achievements, from the drastic reduction of gridlock along the port corridors to improved transparency, coordination, and safety in port traffic management. These results speak to the value TTP continues to deliver.

“Regarding concerns about job security, we understand that transitions in policy, administration, or contracts can naturally create anxiety. However, our people are at the heart of the results we have achieved, and we remain committed to safeguarding their welfare,” the TTP statement revealed.

Truckers back renewal

Meanwhile, truckers under the aegis of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) have said that the TTP deserves a contract renewal based on what has been achieved in the last five years.

In the words of Chief Remi Ogungbemi, “In our perspective, the TTP has performed wonderfully. Since the introduction of the electronic call-up by the NPA, the chaotic situation that we had on the port access roads before 2021 has disappeared. So, we are backing a contract renewal for the TTP.

“However, there will always be room for improvement. No matter how good any system is, there will always be room for improvement.

“There are some people going about, manipulating the electronic call-up system, and getting unauthorised tickets. TTP can improve the system so that the system will not recognise unauthorised ETO Ticket.

“It is people that are benefiting from the chaotic situation that existed on the ports’ access roads prior to 2021, that are calling for the TTP contract termination. If anybody thinks they have a better system that can beat what TTP has put in place, let them come out publicly with it for Nigerians to see.

“But for us at AMATO, TTP has done very well and deserves a contract renewal, even though there will always be room for improvement.” (Nigerian Tribune)