The Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho has intervened in the planned strike by the various trucking associations operating at the ports.
Dantsoho in a meeting with stakeholders in the port industry including the Lagos State Government rallied the major players to resolve the cause of the proposed strike by truck owners led by the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO).
The NPA boss said the intervention would halt the possible lockdown of the sector which will cripple operations at the nation’s seaports.
AMATO recently issued a strike notice and threatened to direct all its members and affiliates to withdraw their trucking and other haulage services across all seaport locations in the country.
The directive was because of what it described as the worsening extortion and attacks on truckers by touts and criminals.
Reacting at the meeting, the NPA boss assured the trucker owners and other maritime stakeholders that efforts were being made in collaboration with the Lagos State Government and the Police High Command to address their menace of touts.
Represented by the Executive Director, Marine and Operations, Engr. Olalekan Badmus said, “We will work with the Lagos State Government and the Police High Command to urgently address your concerns and prevent any disruption by a critical segment of the ports logistics value chain. The national economy cannot afford any shutdown at this time.”