The Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) has called on the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to renew the contract of Truck Transit Park Limited (TTP), the operators of the ETO electronic call-up system.

AMATO hailed the ETO system for ending the N350,000-per-truck extortion regime and eliminating the crippling gridlock that once paralyzed Apapa and Tin Can Island ports. In a statement, Secretary General Mohammed Sani Bala warned against attempts by “vested interests” to revert the ports to the “dark era of manual call-up chaos.”

“Before ETO, truckers paid as much as N350,000 just to access the ports. Drivers spent weeks, even months, in queues. Apapa became a ghost town, and businesses collapsed,” Bala said.

According to the association, the digital platform has been one of the most impactful reforms in port logistics in over a decade, removing extortion rings and informal checkpoints. “Since ETO was introduced, traffic gridlock has disappeared, truck turnaround time has improved, and drivers no longer sleep on bridges and roads,” Bala added.

AMATO noted that businesses in Apapa have reopened, cargo evacuation is now more predictable, and overall trade facilitation has improved. The group warned that anti-automation campaigns threatening TTP’s contract are motivated by those who profited from the former gridlock economy.

The association recommended further automation measures, including integrating e-tag technology, adopting the Truck Manifest Scheduler System, improving terminal efficiency, and eliminating remaining extortion points.

Bala emphasized: “The ETO system has restored sanity, transparency, and dignity to port logistics. The maritime industry cannot afford a return to extortion, congestion, and disorder.”

Analysts note that the Apapa–Tin Can corridor handles over 70% of Nigeria’s seaborne trade, and reverting to manual processes could destabilize the supply chain, increase costs, and weaken Nigeria’s competitive position in the region.