Port Haulage Sector Under Siege: The Cabal’s Grip Tightens Amid Corruption

The trucking industry in Nigeria’s maritime sector is no longer a free market. It’s been hijacked by an unseen but powerful cabal, running the show like puppet masters. These guys are calling the shots, and it’s getting uglier by the day.

I chatted with Adeshina Ajibola, the Technical Head of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), and let me tell you, the things he spilled were wild. Corruption isn’t just creeping into the system; it’s sitting comfortably at the table. According to him, a lack of transparency and accountability is choking the sector. And guess what? The biggest enemies of the system are insiders. Shocking? Not really.

Ajibola strongly believes that full automation is the only way out. If we digitize the trucking system, the cabal won’t be able to manipulate operations anymore. Every trucker will have an equal shot at getting jobs, and shady dealings will take a serious hit.

He broke down some jaw-dropping numbers for me. Right now, an evacuation call-up for a single truck costs ₦250,000. If a big player pushes 45 trucks daily, that’s a whopping ₦11.25 million per day! Multiply that by 20 days a month, and we’re talking about a ₦225 million jackpot. And here’s the kicker—these cabals don’t even have to move a single truck themselves. They just control who gets access. Insane, right?

Now, do you see why these guys will fight tooth and nail to keep things the way they are? If the industry gets fully automated, their money-printing machine stops working. Right now, they have enough cash to buy influence, silence opposition, and keep the whole system under their thumbs. And guess who suffers? The hardworking truckers who are caught in this rat race suffer while the big boys smile at the bank.

Yinka Aroyewun, President of the Council of Maritime Unions and Associations (COMTUA), didn’t hold back either. He called out the Truck Transit Parks Limited, the company managing the call-up system on behalf of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). In theory, the system should be fair, first come, first served. But in reality? It’s a different ball game.

The call-up system has collapsed. Tickets are being sold to the highest bidder, going from ₦250,000 to ₦300,000. Imagine paying that to move your truck! And the worst part? The authorities act like they don’t see what’s happening.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government sends enforcement teams to arrest truckers blocking the roads or operating outside the time belt. But let’s be real—why are trucks still getting stuck in the first place? Because the call-up system is rigged. Instead of going after the root cause, they’re busy fighting the symptoms.

And let’s not even talk about the scandal of over 150 fake number plates found in a garage. What happened to that investigation? Who got punished? Oh, right, nobody. The cabal has hijacked the entire system, making sure their pockets stay full while the industry crumbles.

If we don’t push for full automation ASAP, we can kiss fairness goodbye. No matter how much they tweak the rules, loopholes will always exist for those who know how to exploit them.

The port haulage sector is in a chokehold, and only tech-driven reforms can break the cycle. We need a level playing field where truckers get jobs based on merit, not bribes. Until that happens, the cabal will keep milking the system dry while truckers are left to struggle every day.