The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) said the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Truck Transit Parks Ltd. (TTP) had processed no fewer than 2.7 million truck movements in the last 49 months.

The president of NAGAFF, Tochukwu Ezisi, said this during a news conference in Lagos on Friday.

He said that NAGAFF Cargo Watch findings confirmed that traffic management reforms had reduced costs and delays.

He said NPA, through its partnership with TTP, facilitated 2.7 million truck movements in the last 49 months, leading to a 65 per cent reduction in cargo transportation costs.

“Truck turnaround time has dropped from two-three weeks in the pre-ETO era to less than three days.

“Cargo evacuation has improved from 50 trucks daily to more than 400 trucks, particularly benefiting the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and oil and gas sectors.

“The reforms have boosted export trade by eliminating unnecessary delays, which previously compelled foreign buyers to demand performance bonds from Nigerian exporters.

“Real estate in Apapa has also rebounded, with property values appreciating in recent years,” Mr Ezisi said.

He revealed that the ETO technology had created 225 direct jobs and empowered over 500 ancillary workers within the port environment.

Mr Ezisi, who lauded the achievements of NPA, TTP and the ministry of marine and blue economy, cautioned against complacency.

He, therefore, urged the government to sustain and consolidate the gains made.

“Government must develop the political will to monitor and ensure that the standards set by service providers like TTP are maintained.

“Globally, modern ports are moving towards efficient service delivery to reduce costs and delays. Nigeria must not fall behind.

“TTP as a model of indigenous innovation, which the company has proven Nigeria’s capacity to solve long-standing logistical challenges and therefore deserves continued support and encouragement,” Mr Ezisi said.

The president commended the role of NPA and TTP in easing traffic congestion around the Apapa and Tin Can Island port corridors.

He noted that the digital traffic management system introduced by TTP under the supervision of NPA had transformed the cargo movement at Nigeria’s ports.

He recalled the harrowing experiences of port operators before the introduction of TTP’s Electronic Trucks Operations (ETO) traffic management system, when gridlock around the Lagos ports crippled business activities.

Mr Ezisi recalled that the constant gridlock experienced before now had forced companies to shut down or relocate, and had driven down property in Apapa.

“Kudos to the ingenuity of the NPA and the former Ministry of Transportation, a strategic decision was made to engage the services of TTP.

“In less than two years, the once intractable gridlock started to ease, and port operators breathed a sigh of relief,” he said.

The event was attended by other members of the committee, including Arthur Igwilo, chairman, Special Fact Finding Committee; president Emeritus, Increase Uche; national publicity secretary, Clement Iwegbuna and Patrick Ogbo and media, amongst others.

(NAN)