The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has expressed confidence in the electronic call-up system introduced by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), maintaining it has tackled the gridlock on the Apapa and Tin-Can port access roads.

Secretary General of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO), Mohamed Sani Bala, passing a vote of confidence on the e-call up system after a peaceful rally in Apapa, applauded the NPA for the initiative that has brought sanity to port access roads.

According to him, the Eto Call-up System is not just an app but a game-changer that is a landmark achievement in the history of Nigeria’s maritime logistics.

He stated that its impact in eliminating gridlock and improving traffic flow along logistics corridors has made import and export cargoes evacuation seamlessly.

“On behalf of the trucking community, we wish to use this peaceful rally to express our profound gratitude to the management of NPA for the deployment of the Eto Call-Up System, and to appreciate the Lagos State government for its vital role in enforcing compliance with the Standard Operating Procedures that underpin the system.

“Today, truckers can book port access slots remotely and affordably from anywhere in the world, without the need to physically queue for days on end or engage with road cabals for access tags that used to cost between ₦250,000 and ₦300,000, often without any certainty of progress. The Eto system, at a flat rate of ₦21,500 has eliminated the extortion and exploitation that defined the manual era.”

Sani-Bala also said the port corridors are now more fluid, the environment is more hospitable, with rising value for property.

“Gridlock has eased, and sanity has returned to our roads and truckers no longer sleep in vehicles or die behind the wheel from exhaustion. Port corridors are now more fluid, and the environment is more hospitable.

“Import and export cargoes are evacuated seamlessly while businesses now operate on schedule. Apapa, once a ghost town, is vibrant again, with rising property values and restored community life.

“Children can now safely attend school without being stranded in traffic. This is the kind of transformational impact that meaningful reform delivers.”

The AMATO scribe took a swipe at the recent campaign of calumny against the call-up system, saying their interest lies in reversing the clock to a time when truckers were extorted and exploited under the guise of port access facilitation.

“We urge all members of the trucking community to remain vigilant. The call-up automation is here to stay — and we must resist all attempts to undermine the progress it represents. The manual call-up system is dead and buried, and any nostalgia for that era must give way to the reality of sustainable, tech-driven port logistics.”