Chairman of the Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC), Alhaji Lukman Zangalo, has raised the alarm over a deepening crisis within the rank of transport operators.
Zangalo, in a letter to truck owners, highlighted a brewing crisis between the National Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP) factions and stressed the need for urgent intervention to avert a potential industry-wide crisis.
The letter accused a former president of the Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA), Yinka Aroyewun, of splintering and forming a parallel body, NAMTOP, in defiance of the majority’s recognition of Zangalo as the state chairman.
Zangalo in the letter stated that the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing COMTUA was terminated on 20th July, 2023, over Aroyewun’s alleged selfish motives, contempt, and instigation of violence against authorities and stakeholders.
He blamed the factionalisation of NAMTOP for the failure of truckers to form a unified body as directed by the Lagos State Government.
He explained that the legal vacuum led to the formation of LASTCOC, tasked with managing the affairs of truck and cargo operators to achieve the goals of the Ease of Doing Transportation Business Policy at the seaports.
He said both factions of NAMTOP have equal representation in LASTCOC, even as he described the recent actions by Yinka Aroyewun and his faction as a conspiracy to reverse progress in traffic orderliness and instigate confrontations.
He added that Aroyewun had earlier given his support for the harmonised Lagos State Government ticket, aimed at ending multiple imposition tickets.
