Truck Owners Form New Association Over Ports Access Road Traffic

In other to effectively manage the perennial Apapa traffic gridlock, truck owners operating at the Apapa and Tin-Can Island ports have formed a new association, National Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP).

The truck owners, however, pulled out of the Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA), saying the association was not registered, hence not known to the government to operate at the seaports.

It was gathered that the new association has the backing of the Lagos State Government (LASG), to oversee affairs of the various truckers’ groups and ensure the ruck owners abide by traffic rules in the state.

However, it was learnt that the recent pull-out of the associations was due to leadership crisis and alleged refusal of the executives of COMTUA to agree to the resolution of the majority of truckers and notable elders in the trucking business over who becomes the Board of Trustees (BoT) members and the Zonal executives of the newly-formed National Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP); a name said to have been agreed upon by the entire truckers associations operating in the state.

The associations reportedly formed the NAMTOP on the prompting of the Lagos State Government. The new body (NAMTOP); under the leadership of Alhaji Lukman Shittu as Chairman, in a letter written to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo Olu.

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The NAMTOP in the letter alleged that COMTUA defamed the Special Adviser, Shola Giwa, because the government refused to recognise COMTUA as a body of truckers.

NAMTOP further alleged that COMTUA does not function as a legal entity and is not recognized by the law while also stating that the primary aim of forming COMTUA has been defeated with dissolution of the Presidential Task Team (PTT) by the Government in 2020. It added that COMTUA is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

The letter reads in part: “It has become necessary for us on the above subject to make the following statements/clarifications over the baseless allegation of partisanship levelled against Honorable Shola Giwa by subversive elements of COMTUA regarding the leadership selection process of maritime truckers in Lagos State.

“As part of the efforts of the Lagos State Government to promote the ease of doing transportation business in Lagos State through the Ministry of Transportation Alausa, directed Maritime Trucking Operators to come under one umbrella body.

“Consequent upon the Lagos State Government directive, the Maritime Transport Unions/Associations came together, formulated, deliberated and unanimously agreed to adopt the name: National Association of Maritime Transport Operators NAMTOP to serve as truckers’ umbrella body for implementing Lagos State Government policy on ease of doing transportation business in the state. A communiqué to that effect was signed by truckers’ representatives in the presence of the officials of the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation at Alausa.”

“Sequel to the adoption of NAMTOP and the need to have an administrative machinery to coordinate the affairs of the umbrella body for successful implementation of Government policy on ease of doing transportation business in Lagos State, majority of truckers and notable elders in the maritime trucking industry conveyed a general meeting and endorsed a Board of Trustees, State and Zonal executive structures for NAMTOP of which letter was written to the office of Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation to that effect”.

“The Council of Maritime Transport Union and Association (COMTUA) does not function as a legal entity. COMTUA is not recognized by the law. The primary aim of forming COMTUA has been defeated with dissolution of the Presidential Task Team PTT by the Government in the year 2020.

“COMTUA doesn’t have an RC number. Over five registered Transport Unions/Associations have tendered their withdrawal letter from COMTUA”