The Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA, has raised concerns over the continued refusal of truckers to use designated truck parks at Onne Port, saying the development is worsening traffic challenges and contributing to delays in cargo evacuation.
The Traffic Manager at Onne Port, Siraj Agbolade, told Vanguard that four truck parks provided in and around the port are currently being under-utilised by truck operators.
According to him, many truck drivers prefer parking along the roads and paying community youths rather than using the designated facilities.
Agbolade explained that the truck parks serve as holding and transition points where vehicles are processed and scheduled to enter the port for cargo loading or evacuation through the Electronic Call-Up System.
He disclosed that port authorities had scheduled a meeting with stakeholders operating at Onne Port this week to discuss the challenges and find possible solutions.
The situation comes amid threats by some transport unions and freight forwarders to withdraw their services if the roads leading to the port are not rehabilitated as promised by the NPA.
The Chairman of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, ANLCA, Onne branch, Ifeanyi Isikaku, also raised concerns over the condition of the port corridor.
In a statement titled “The Brink: Onne Freight Forwarders, Transporters Threaten Shutdown Over Road, E-Call-Up Crisis,” Isikaku warned that commercial activities along the Onne Port corridor could be disrupted if urgent action was not taken to rehabilitate the deteriorating roads.
The association said freight forwarders, importers and transport operators were already suffering significant financial losses due to the poor condition of the access roads, indiscriminate truck parking and problems associated with the electronic call-up system.
According to the group, the Onne Port corridor is a major route for cargo movement within the Eastern maritime economy, but the deteriorating road infrastructure has turned the area into a daily challenge for truckers, businesses and residents.
The group further alleged that trucks carrying valuable consignments had reportedly been involved in accidents or overturned along the corridor, resulting in losses running into millions of naira.
It warned that prolonged delays were increasing operating costs for businesses through demurrage, vehicle maintenance, delayed deliveries and damaged cargo, with some companies also facing losses from disrupted business activities.
Stakeholders are therefore calling for urgent road rehabilitation and improved coordination of truck movement to prevent the situation from escalating into a shutdown of activities around the Onne Port corridor.
