Although as a country Nigeria has been through the mill when it comes to having problems, the country is believed to have the most robust port infrastructure in the sub-region, but port users have continued to struggle with huge economic costs due to inefficiencies arising from unfavorable export and import processes.
Over the years, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), has made several interventions to resolve the incidence of heavy vehicular and human congestion around the country’s seaports and off-dock terminals, especially those within the Lagos axis where a large chunk of the nation’s external trade is processed. After experimenting with a manual truck scheduling arrangement for over a year, the NPA came up with an electronic truck call-up system in this was to tackle the perennial traffic gridlock responsible for the delay along the access roads leading to the country’s two busiest ports.
The truck call-up system, dubbed “Eto”, the Yoruba word for “to schedule”, is now the only authorized pathway for cargo trucks to access the port, including transfer of empty containers by shipping companies.
Mr Ibrahim Nasiru, NPA’s Assistant General Manager, Corporate and Strategic Communications Quoted that “henceforth, all trucks doing business at the ports in Lagos will be required to park at approved truck parks until they are called-up into the port through “Eto”, the new application. The ‘Eto’ application will be responsible for the scheduling, entry and exit of all trucks into the port with effect from 27th February 2021.”
This would help in the easing of truck traffic congestion and streamlining cargo movement activities, smart parking for trucks, and information navigation options for truck owners/drivers on available parking spaces, as well as convenience and safety for drivers at designated truck transit parks. From available accounts, the roll-out of the electronic truck call-up platform proved to be a game-changer with its instant positive impact on the carriage cost of goods at the two Lagos ports.
The haulage fee imposed on fully laden containers from the Lagos Ports Complex, Apapa to a destination within the Lagos area fell substantially in the week the “Eto” app was formally launched. Similarly, carriage cost from Tin-Can Island Port to warehouses within Lagos State dropped progressively by the second quarter of 2021, according to the records.
