The Committee of Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) has carpeted management of Truck Transit Park Limited (TTP) on its two years of existence and extortion in the maritime transport industry.
In a letter addressed to the Chairman/Managing Director of TTP, the National President of COMTUA, Comrade Adeyinka Aroyewun, lamented that while TTP is celebrating two years of operation, truck operators are mourning the loss they incur daily.
Aroyewun lampooned TTP for celebrating enjoyment of monopoly at the expense of truck operators as it finds it convenient to impose the Minimum Safety Standard stickers on them through its App in connivance with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).
COMTUA President derided the Minimum Safety Standard sticker as nothing but fraud because the rate of accident exposed lack of safety standard.
He remarked that TTP had administered almost two million trucks to the ports and terminals at fluctuating rate between ten and thirty thousand naira per trip of each truck in the last two years, reduced the price of haulage by sixty per cent even as many of the truckers are out of business because the cost of running business increased by two hundred per cent.
He said sadly that there has been a number of deaths and accidents caused by many truckers’ inability to maintain their trucks.
Aroyewun accused TTP management of smiling to the banks while operators are in agony due to inefficiency from its monopoly.
In his words: “While you and your cohorts smile to the bank, operators frown in agony due to inefficiency from your Monopoly.”
He nonetheless recognized some achievements of TTP, saying that Apapa traffic was in a near state of crisis before its arrival. According to Aroyewun, the crisis was as a result of many factors including but not limited to road construction, congestion in the Terminals and the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.
“We cannot shy away from the fact that we now access the ports and Terminals easier than what we witnessed before your arrival.
“Add that to your claims of success and you can not be wrong; a coincidence is also ruled out,” he noted.
However, Aroyewun painted a picture of gloom for truckers with the two years of TTP.