Maritime workers, truckers threaten strike over N400, 000 extortion by Lagos traffic committees

The Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN),has thrown it’s weight behind a strike threat issued by truckers in Lagos State, who are accusing the Lagos State Committee on Removal of Abandoned Vehicles and Special Traffic Management Committee and Enforcement Team .of extortion and harrassment.

The truckers, who are members of MWUN, Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO,) and Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) have given the Lagos State government a three- day ultimatum to disband the two committees and release all impounded trucks or face industrial action.

Speaking during a meeting with the leadership of the truck owners in Lagos on Monday, President General of MWUN Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, said the Union cannot folds it’s arms and watch it’s members being harrassed and extorted.

He called on the Port Managers , Lagos Ports Complex (LPC) and Tin Can Island Port Complex (TCIPC) o wake up to their responsibilities and restore order to the ports access roads.

He warned that if their demands are not met after three days, there will be a collaborative strike action by the Union and truckers.

He said, “I want to use this medium to appeal to the two port managers to wake up to action that is about to take place .

“If after 3 days nothing is done, there will be collaboration in support of the strike actions. Some of our members are truckers and some of them have been suffering the fate. I also sit as the Deputy President of NLC, we are concerned about the activities of the truckers on the road.

“We are going to support them if nothing is done after three days. The port managers and NPA should stand up and correct the action that is about to cripple the activities of the port.”

Earlier the truckers had accused the Lagos State committees of arbitrary arrest of their trucks and demanding exorbitant fines ranging from N200, 000 to N400, 000 paid into private accounts.

Speaking on behalf of the haulage operators, Comrade Thompson Leye said that the activities of the committee negate the purpose for which they were set up.

He acccused the Lagos State committees of abandoning it’s traffic management duties and instead engaging in indiscriminate arrest and imposition of excessive fines on trucks entering the port.

Leye warned that failure to address the two demands of the group within three days which will expire on Wednesday, 26th February, 2025, will result in a complete withdrawal of haulage services in Lagos State.

A statement jointly issued by the truckers’ group reads in part, “In line with our unambiguous demand as stated above, we hereby issue this NOTICE OF THREE (3) DAYS ULTIMATUM, which would expire on Wednesday, 26th February 2025, within which three-day period we hope our demands as above would have been granted.

“We wish to state further that at the EXPIRATION of the THREE (3) DAYS ULTIMATUM issued herein, and in the event that the authorities refuse to lend their ears to our plight and dissolve these two Committees as demanded, we shall immediately embark on an industrial action and withdraw the services of all our members throughout the state.

“Further to the above, we wish to bring to your esteemed attention the disheartening events of Thursday, 20th February 2025, at Area B Apapa, during which members of the Committees, alongside a contingent of street urchins illegally acting at the Committees’ behest, attacked a group of haulage truck owners, drivers, and stakeholders who were in transit along the Apapa Port Road. This latest attack occurred during another bout of harassment, verbal and physical assault, and belligerent demands for outrageous amounts in penalties by members of these two Committees.

“Suffice it to say that when it appeared that the trucker had no intent to comply with their baseless demands, the Committees’ members set the street urchins in their company upon the hapless trucker, resulting in grievous bodily injuries, with the victim struggling for his life in the hospital. The matter is being handled by Area “B” Police Station.”