Eto Breathes New Life Into Apapa Port, Improves Economy — Onwubuariri

Jama Onwubuariri, Managing Director of Truck Transit Park (TTP), speaks in this interview about how normalcy has returned to Apapa Port. He highlights the dramatic drop in haulage costs at Lagos ports, made possible by the electronic call-up system, Ètò.

Before now, what’s the truck turnaround time from the warehouse to the Apapa and Tin Can seaports?*
Prior to the intervention of TTP through the Ètò electronic call-up system, the turnaround time for trucks heading to the Apapa and Tin Can ports was notoriously long and unpredictable. Trucks could be stuck in traffic for 3 weeks, especially during peak periods. The entire logistics ecosystem was plagued by congestion, human interference, multiple illegal checkpoints, and a general lack of coordination.
The result was a broken system where access to the ports became an extreme sport, with truckers spending nights on the road, enduring extortion and suffering loss of goods and time.

With Ètò, we have brought structure, visibility, and efficiency into port access logistics. Today, depending on compliance, trucks are now able to move from their holding bays to the port gates under 48 hours, with some doing so within 12–18 hours. This is not theoretical. The transformation is visible; anyone who’s driven through Apapa in recent years can attest to the difference.
More importantly, we now have data to track truck movement end-to-end, which allows for continuous improvements, transparency, and accountability. Turnaround time is no longer a matter of the ability to settle the relevant players or informal actors; it’s now a function of technology, digital compliance, and scheduling integrity.

How much has haulage cost dropped due to TTP’s Call-up system? 
Before Ètò, the logistics value chain operated under a high-cost, high-risk system. Haulage prices were not only driven by demand and fuel costs but also heavily inflated by inefficiencies and gridlock. At the height of port congestion, moving a container could cost as much as ₦1.2 million, with truckers and businesses bearing the brunt of unpredictable delays and multiple illegal charges.
Truckers had to spend several days in traffic, sometimes paying multiple layers of illegal fees, and cargo incurred higher demurrage, and losing revenue due to downtime. This cost was ultimately passed on to importers, manufacturers, and consumers.

Since TTP launched Ètò in partnership with the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Lagos State government, we have seen a consistent drop in haulage prices by 50-65%, depending on the route and operator. Today, the average cost of moving a container from Apapa to Ikeja or Amuwo-Odofin ranges between ₦450,000 and ₦600,000 — a drastic improvement driven by shorter wait times, increased truck turnaround, and elimination of racketeering in port access.
Several companies, from major importers to small business operators, have openly reported reduced logistics costs and increased delivery predictability since they adopted Ètò.

Ètò Ticket racketeering has been a source of concern. How are you tackling this menace?
Racketeering thrives because middlemen exploit the desperation of truckers and transporters to cut corners, ignore due process and access the port before the time they are scheduled to do so. They leverage this to inflate costs and enrich themselves. At TTP, our response to racketeering has been both technological and structural, closing any loopholes that allow this practice to thrive. Here are some things we’ve done:
Every truck movement is scheduled and tracked digitally on the Ètò platform. Call-up tickets are generated with unique QR codes linked directly to truck license plates, which makes duplication or resale nearly impossible. Ideally, this prevents middlemen from manipulating the process. However, we still have porosity in the practice of truckers being able to manipulate the system by exchanging number plates. To curb this, the NPA has directed that all trucks have their number plates firmly riveted to the trucks and even written on the body of the trucks, but compliance is still very poor, and number plate exchange is still a practice.

We have proposed an e-tag system where each truck is electronically tagged and cannot exchange its identity with another truck. This initiative will eliminate racketeering once approved by the NPA.
All operators on Ètò undergo Know Your Customer (KYC) verification. We track activities on the platform, and operators who are found aiding racketeering are flagged, investigated, and sanctioned. Truckers and park operators have been removed from the system in the past for violating rules.
We work closely with unions, associations, and enforcement agencies to ensure compliance and discourage side deals. Importantly, we have also set up a whistleblower channel where truckers can confidentially report cases of racketeering or extortion, with assurance of swift follow-up.
Let me be clear: racketeering will always try to evolve, but so will we. We remain committed to keeping Ètò as the most trusted logistics scheduling system in Nigeria’s port ecosystem. Ètò is designed to bring transparency, and we will continue to strengthen the system to protect truckers and cargo owners from exploitation.

How secure is your platform against hacking and manipulation?
Security is at the heart of Ètò’s design, because we are dealing with sensitive data that impacts the entire port ecosystem. We’ve built Ètò with an enterprise-grade cybersecurity framework, following global best practices.
We ensure platform security through data encryption, multi-factor authentication for system administrators, restricting access based on user roles, threat detection & incident response, run by an in-house 24/7 ICT and cybersecurity team that monitors all activity on the platform. Our system also leverages AI to detect anomalies in real-time and prevent breaches before they escalate. Ètò is hosted on a secure cloud infrastructure, which complies with multiple global standards.
Since inception, we have never experienced a successful hack, and we continue investing in prevention and detection.

What are the challenges you would want the government to intervene in or address immediately? 
While Ètò has brought order to port access, there are still systemic challenges that go beyond technology and require policy intervention.
Several access roads leading to the Apapa and Tincan Port and surrounding areas remain in deplorable condition. This undermines the efficiency of Ètò and creates artificial congestion even when scheduling is seamless. Prioritizing road rehabilitation will sustain the gains we’ve achieved.

Extortion by security agencies and non-State actors also remains an issue. Despite digital scheduling, truckers still face multiple checkpoints by different agencies where they are subjected to illegal charges by some enforcement personnel and unscrupulous elements. This extortion increases logistics costs and erodes confidence in the system. We have already provided a profile on Ètò for transparent compliance enforcement by NPA, LASTMA, Police, FRSC, and others. The Government needs to ensure stricter oversight, accountability, and harmonisation of enforcement activities.
Frequent changes in port governance and a lack of continuity in digital initiatives also slow progress. We urge the government to provide legislative backing for digital systems like Ètò, so reforms are not reversed with every change in leadership. Ètò should be strengthened, not politicized, because the efficiency of our ports directly impacts national trade, revenue, and regional competitiveness.

What are the plans of TTP to maintain the current state of normalcy experienced on the port access roads?
Port normalcy is not a destination; it is a moving target. We’re fully aware that sustaining it requires continuous effort, investment, and collaboration.
At Apapa and Tincan ports, we plan to sustain normalcy by combining technology upgrades, improved compliance, and collaboration with enforcement agencies. One major innovation we are currently awaiting approval to deploy is the E-tag/RFID system, for tamperproof, contactless truck identification at port gates and checkpoints. This means trucks can be scanned electronically in seconds, reducing delays, eliminating manual interference, and ensuring access control.

Also, we are improving real-time monitoring and reporting dashboards for Apapa and Tincan terminals, so we can see how long each truck dwells per terminal. We are also deepening our engagement with unions, security agencies, and terminal operators to ensure alignment and quick resolution of any issues that may arise. The goal is simple: ensure the normalcy and order being experienced today are maintained and strengthened.

Beyond Lagos, we recognize that Nigeria’s economy depends on efficient cargo evacuation across multiple corridors. Our medium-term plan is to expand Ètò to other ports and key logistics hubs in states such as Enugu, Kano, and Oyo, adapting the system to their unique challenges. This will create a standardized, nationwide framework for truck scheduling and movement, ensuring that the success recorded in Lagos becomes a national model for port efficiency.

We believe that the normalcy being experienced today is not just a product of software, but a testament to what’s possible when government, technology, and private enterprise work together. Our mission is to preserve that success and scale it, sustainably, equitably, and transparently.