Bello-Koko made these remarks during an unscheduled visit to Tin-Can Island Port, where he inspected designated container stripping yards and the port access roads to ensure trucks were not loitering. He also stated that truckers caught engaging in illegal stripping could be delisted from the Electronic Call-up System (Eto) platform managed by the Truck Transit Park Limited.
Furthermore, NPA has rolled out Standard Operating Procedures for barge operators as a guideline to all operators. Addressing concerns surrounding container stripping, Bello-Koko emphasized the menace of stripping outside designated yards, leading to traffic disruptions and chaos in the port access roads. He asserted NPA’s commitment to intensifying vigilance and monitoring to curb this negative trend.
Addressing the scarcity in some stripping yards, Bello-Koko acknowledged the impact of global economic upheavals on cargo flow and highlighted that a low business downturn could not justify illegality. He revealed that proposals for well-equipped stripping yards, referred to as devanning yards, are receiving accelerated attention to shift from illegal roadside stripping.
Bello-Koko pledged to collaborate with other government agencies and the Lagos State government to ensure that such unhealthy practices no longer took place along the port access road. He also announced that unannounced spot visits will become more frequent, followed by regular stakeholder engagements to enhance the seamless operations of the Eto platform. Additionally, he warned that stripping yards violating operational rules would face temporal shutdowns for first-time offenders and the possibility of non-renewal of land leases for recalcitrant offenders.
These stringent measures aim to maintain orderliness and safety within the port environment, concluded Bello-Koko.
