disrupts transfer of containers to off dock terminals

By Godfrey Bivbere

A choked-up section of the Apapa-Oshodi Expressway, taken over by trucks. More photos on Page 37. Photos by Joe Akintola, Photo Editor, Kehinde Gbadamosi, Bunmi Azeez, and Akeem Salau.

DESPITE complaints by the management of Tin-can Island Port over uniformed men taking up driving duties in exchange for money, the military personnel, mostly army officers have continued unhindered.

This has led to the disruption of plans by some of the terminals to transfer containers to their off dock terminal as these military officers disregard all traffic laws to either take trucks into or out of the port.

Vanguard Maritime Report gathered that these military personnel resort to the crude tactics to enable them collect the agreed fee after completion of the assignment.

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Vanguard Maritime Report had earlier report that the military personnel are paid N1,000 for 20 feet truck and N2,000 for 40 feet trucks. But a source, however, said that the actual amount is N10,000 and N20,000 respectively.

Another source close to the Tin-can Island port management told Vanguard Maritime Report, that most of the army personnel were from the Supply and Transport Unit within Apapa and not the signal unit earlier reported.

The source said once the traffic manager of the port accosted an army personnel speeding into the port and that the army personnel had to flee when he discovered that it was the TM.

Efforts to speak with the Port Manager, Umar Abubakar, proved abortive. Similarly, efforts to get the reaction of the management of Tin-can Island Container Terminal, TICT, on transfer of containers to off dock stations was also unsuccessful.

However, an officer in the Public Relations department of Sifax Group, parent body of Ports and Cargo, one of the terminal operators, Phillip Olawunmi Ojo, told Vanguard Maritime Report  that such illegal operations does not affect their movement of containers to off-dock terminals.

Olawunmi Ojo said most of their movements are done at midnight and also by barges at other times. Vanguard Maritime Report gathered that the Tin-can port management last December paid a courtesy visit to the leadership of the Signal Barracks to seek the help of the Command to check the activities of their officers but the visit seem not to have yielded the desired result.