Business
Maritime truck owners hail e-call up system, say gridlock now history
The Nigerian Ports Authority’s (NPA) electronic call-up system has earned praise from the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), with members lauding its success in eliminating traffic gridlock on the Apapa and Tin Can port access roads.
Speaking after a peaceful rally in Apapa, the Secretary General of AMATO, Mohamed Sani Bala, commended the NPA for implementing what he described as a transformational initiative that has restored order and efficiency to port logistics.
Sani Bala described the Eto Call-Up System not just as a technological solution, but a game-changing reform in Nigeria’s maritime sector.
According to him, the digital system has eliminated years of chaos on the port corridors, allowing cargoes to be moved in and out of the ports seamlessly and on schedule.
“On behalf of the trucking community, we wish to use this peaceful rally as a platform to express our profound gratitude to the management of NPA for the deployment of the Eto Call-Up System, and to also appreciate the Lagos State Government for its vital role in enforcing compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures that underpin the system,” he said.
“The Eto Call-Up System is more than just an app — it is a game-changer and a landmark achievement in the history of Nigeria’s maritime logistics. It has ushered in a new era of automation, transparency, and efficiency in port access and truck scheduling, resolving the long-standing chaos and gridlock that plagued the Apapa and Tin Can Island logistics corridors for decades.”
He further noted that the system allows truckers to book slots remotely and affordably, removing the need for days-long queues and costly payments to road touts.
“Today, truckers can book port access slots remotely and affordably, from anywhere in the world, without the need to physically queue for days on end or engage with road cabals for access tags that used to cost between ₦250,000 and ₦300,000, often without any certainty of progress.
“The Eto system, at a flat rate of ₦21,500, has eliminated the extortion and exploitation that defined the manual era.”
Sani Bala said the improvement in traffic flow has had a ripple effect on the environment and business activities in Apapa.
“Gridlock has eased, and sanity has returned to our roads. Truckers no longer sleep in vehicles or die behind the wheel from exhaustion. Port corridors are now more fluid, and the environment is more hospitable.
“Import and export cargoes are evacuated seamlessly while businesses now operate on schedule. Apapa, once a ghost town, is vibrant again, with rising property values and restored community life.
“Children can now safely attend school without being stranded in traffic. This is the kind of transformational impact that meaningful reform delivers.”
The AMATO secretary general, however, condemned recent criticisms of the e-call up system, accusing detractors of attempting to take the sector back to the era of extortion and lawlessness.
“We are aware that some individuals are sponsoring a campaign of calumny against the Eto system. Let it be known that these detractors are largely beneficiaries of the discredited manual system — now rendered irrelevant by automation. Their interest lies in reversing the clock to a time when truckers were extorted and exploited under the guise of port access facilitation.
“It is ironic, and frankly shameful, that those who once charged ₦250,000–₦300,000 for truck entry now accuse the ₦21,500 Eto system of being fraudulent. If they truly had truckers’ interests at heart, they would have implemented a fair and transparent system during their time.”
He urged stakeholders to remain vigilant and reject any attempt to derail the progress made through automation.
“The manual call-up system is dead and buried, and any nostalgia for that era must give way to the reality of sustainable, tech-driven port logistics.
“We say kudos to the NPA, the Lagos State Government, and TTP for bringing sanity back to our roads and ports.”