Mr. Mohammed Bello Koko, the Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, has warmed against illegal stripping of containers along the port access road and vowed to deal decisively with perpetrators.
He gave the warning at the weekend during an unscheduled visit to Tincan Island Port, Lagos.
The MD, inspected designated container stripping yards and the port access roads to ensure that trucks are not loitering.
He warned that truckers caught in the act stand the risk of being delisted from the Electronic Call-up System (eto) platform managed by the Truck Transit Park (TTP) Limited.
Koko announced that the NPA has rolled out Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for barge operators, adding that the SOP will serve as guidelines.
On concerns surrounding container stripping also known as devanning, Bello Koko said stripping constitutes a menace when undertaken outside designated yards, as it provides a platform for trucks loitering around the ports access roads which results in traffic disruptions and attendant chaos.
The NPA boss said the Authority will intensify its vigilance and monitoring to nip the negative trend in the bud.
On the scarcity in some of the stripping yards, the Managing Director acknowledged the impact of global economic upheavals on cargo flow and reiterated that business downturn cannot justify the illegality.
Koko said proposals for well-equipped stripping yards, referred to as devanning yards are receiving accelerated attention, signaling a shift from illegal roadside stripping.
To ensure the sustainability of the measures, he said the NPA has collaborated with other government agencies and the Lagos state government.
The NPA boss promised that such unannounced spot visits would become more frequent and will be followed by regular stakeholder engagements towards improving the seamless operations of the ETO platform.
He also warned that stripping yards that violate the operational rules will face temporal shutdowns for first time offenders, and the possibility of non-renewal of land leases for recalcitrant offenders.
Bello Koko pointed out that the stringent measures are to ensure orderliness and safety within the port environment.
