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Apapa Gridlock: NPA e-Call-up System Thrills Sanwo-Olu

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NPA e-Call-up System

By Ahmed Rahma

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commended the management of the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) for using technology to address the traffic logjam at the Apapa area of the state.

Mr Sanwo-Olu, who spoke when the Managing Director of the NPA, Mrs Hadiza Bala Usman, paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House in Alausa, Ikeja, on Tuesday, said he was excited with the introduction of an electronic call-up system.

The system, according to the NPA, would ensure that trucks are allowed on the Apapa corridor via a booking system. The initiative would be launched this Saturday and it is one of the ways put in place to tackle the perennial gridlock in the area.

Governor Sanwo-Olu expressed optimism on the transparent electronic call-up system, saying the move was the beginning of the end of Apapa gridlock.

He said the call-up platform would be complemented with virtual dashboards that will be placed in strategic locations around the seaports, where all stakeholders will monitor the scheduling of container movement.

The Governor praised NPA for the innovative approach towards tackling the truck menace around ports, pledging that the state government would sustain the effort with strict enforcement of traffic regulations along the Apapa corridor.

He said, “This is the beginning of a better journey time for our citizens within the Apapa seaports and environ.

“This electronic system has a limited interface with security operatives and unions, which usually cause the gridlock problem.

“It will be a simple case of possessing electronic clearance. If you don’t have it, you don’t have any reason to be around the seaports.

“In enforcing the new regulations, we are deploying more than enough towing vehicles to impound erring trucks.

“The huge amount to be paid as fine for flouting the call-up system will be a deterrent for drivers not to repeat it.

“The stakeholders need to understand we are serious about ridding Apapa of the menace that has brought pains to our citizens living and doing businesses along the corridor.”

Mr Sanwo-Olu said the state government would be deploying 500 officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to work collaboratively with NPA and enforce the new call-up regulation, directing the state’s agency not to spare any effort in achieving free flow of traffic in Apapa.

On her part, Mrs Usman reaffirmed that from Saturday, February 27, 2021, the movement of trucks in and out of the Lagos seaports will now be organised through a transparent electronic call-up system that will be based on first-come-first-serve basis.

With the new system, no container-laden truck is expected to go on Apapa corridor without clearance from the call-up platform. Any truck that flouts the electronic roster and park along Apapa corridor will be impounded by the taskforce.

Mrs. Bala Usman said the visit to the State House was to brief the Governor on the status of the electronic call-up platform before it would be fully launched.

The NPA boss said the electronic system had addressed the excuses usually given by truck drivers for parking their vehicles on the highways, stressing that any truck found around the ports without electronic clearance would be impounded.

“The deadline for the commencement of the electronic call-up system is February 27, 2021 and we are here to strengthen collaboration with the Lagos State government on implementation and compliance as we commence the process.

“The new system will be done in collaboration with the State. We have worked seamlessly to ensure Apapa is rid of the menace of trucks,” she said.

“All truck owners and stakeholders have been briefed about the new development over the past months. Any truck found in Apapa corridor without call-up clearance will be impounded and Lagos Government will provide the platform with which any fine payment will be collected,” she added.

Mrs Bala Usman said the era of individuals depositing empty containers in the seaports was over, noting that empty containers must now be deposited with the shipping companies, which are expected to keep the containers in their holding bays at no cost to individuals who own the shipment.

Ahmed Rahma is a journalist with great interest in arts and craft. She is also a foodie who loves new ideas. She loves to travel and would love to visit other African countries someday. She is a sucker for historical movies and afrobeat.

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Tinubu Leaves Abuja Today for Dubai, Japan, Brazil

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tinubu at UNGA

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

President Bola Tinubu will today, Thursday, August 14, 2005, leave Nigeria for a two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil, though he is expected to have a stop-over in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) before proceeding to Japan.

A statement issued on Wednesday by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, disclosed that the President would be spending about two weeks outside the country.

According to the statement, in Japan, President Tinubu will attend the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in the City of Yokohama from August 20 to 22.

With the theme Co-create Innovative Solutions with Africa, TICAD9 will focus on Africa’s economic transformation and improvements in the business environment and institutions through private investment and innovation. It will also promote a resilient and sustainable African society for human security, peace, and stability.

In addition to attending plenary sessions on themes linked to the conference, the Nigerian President will hold bilateral meetings and meet the chief executive officers of some Japanese companies with investments in Nigeria.

Initiated in 1993 by the Japanese government and co-hosted by the United Nations, UNDP, the African Union Commission, and the World Bank, TICAD is a triennial conference held alternately in Japan and Africa. The last one took place in August 2022 in Tunisia.

 The forum fosters high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners.

At the end of the TICAD9, Mr Tinubu will leave for Brasilia in Brazil for a two-day state visit from Sunday, August 24, to Monday, August 25, following an invitation by the Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

While in Brazil, he will hold a bilateral meeting with his host and attend a business forum with Brazilian investors.

His delegation—comprising key ministers and senior officials—will explore opportunities to strengthen cooperation and sign agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the Brazilian government.

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Appeal Court Frees NNPC of N5bn Damages Payment to Ararume

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ifeanyi ararume nnpc N5bn damages

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The judgment of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja mandating the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited to pay its former board chairman, Mr Ifeanyi Ararume, the sum of N5 billion as damages has been upturned by the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal.

The former lawmaker secured the judgment against the state-owned oil agency at the lower court in April 2023, but this was challenged at the appellate court.

Ruling on the matter on August 8, 2025, according to a statement from the NNPC on Wednesday, August 13, the court upheld the appeal of the energy firm against the Federal High Court’s judgement that annulled Mr Ararume’s removal from the board.

According to the Appeal Court, the Federal High Court’s earlier decision was delivered in error, noting amongst others, that the claim was statute-barred.

In the statement, NNPC said this decision of the appellate court “sets a corporate governance precedent in Nigerian law, and upholds the validity of board resolutions critical to the oil and gas industry’s investment and policy direction.”

It also stated that the judgement spares it of “a massive financial payout and removes a legal risk that could have invalidated all decisions of the board since 2021.”

Recall that in 2023, the late former President Muhammadu Buhari removed Mr Ararume as the chairman of NNPC but he approached the court to challenge this, arguing it was illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional and a total breach of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), asking N100 billion as damages.

Though his prayers were granted by Justice Inyang Ekwo, the compensation awarded was N5 billion and it was for the disruption of his appointment because it was unlawful and illegal.

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Nigeria’s Daily Fuel Consumption Drops 18.6% to 48 million Litres

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fuel consumption

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has disclosed that average litres of fuel consumed daily by the country decreased by about 18.6 per cent to 48.0 million litres in June 2025 from the 59.0 million litres recorded in May 2025.

The Director of Public Affairs for NMDPRA, Mr George Ene-Ita, confirmed this in a report on Wednesday, noting that for the full month, the fuel consumption also went down by 16.4 per cent or 290 million litres to 1,440,768,129 litres from the previous month’s 1,768,812,804 litres.

Breaking down the fuel supply figures, the NMDPRA report stated that in June, the Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), called diesel, saw a slight increase in supply by 1.73 per cent, reaching 432.18 million litres compared to May’s 424.83 million litres.

In spite of this, diesel distribution (truck-out) declined by 23.23 per cent, falling from 552.35 million litres in May to 424.06 million litres in June.

It further showed that the Household Kerosene (HHK) supply and distribution both recorded a 13 per cent decrease, with June figures at 7.79 million litres, down from nearly nine million litres in May.

The sharpest decline was seen in automotive gasoline supply, which dropped by nearly 48 per cent from 72.36 million litres in May to 37.66 million litres in June.

Distribution also fell by 16.54 per cent within the same period.

The NMDPRA’s report also detailed fuel truck-out volumes to individual states, totalling the 1.44 billion litres evacuated in June.

The report showed that Lagos received the highest volume at 205.66 million litres, followed by Ogun with 88.69 million litres, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) with 77.51 million litres, and Oyo with 72.81 million litres.

The decline in overall supply and distribution suggests continued challenges in the petroleum midstream and downstream sectors, impacting national fuel consumption patterns in June.

The NMDPRA, then, pledged to work closely with relevant stakeholders to strengthen distribution and guarantee the uninterrupted supply of petroleum products across the country.

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