APFFLON urges NPA to address challenges associated with electronic call up system

The Africa Association of Professional Freight Forwarders and Logistics of Nigeria (APFFLON) has expressed deep concern over the delay by the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) to address the growing challenges surrounding the Electronic Truck Call-Up System (ETO).

APFFLON said it had received numerous complaints from its freight forwarder members, truck operators, and logistics service providers that ETO accessibility ticket is being sold in the black market for as high as ₦300,000 per slot, creating an artificial bottleneck that directly undermines the system’s integrity and purpose.

The APFFLON President, Otunba Frank Ogunojemite, made this known in a statement he personally signed and made available to PortNews in Lagos on Friday, November 7, 2025.

Otunba Frank Ogunojemite said this unacceptable situation has not only crippled the operations of legitimate transporters and freight forwarders but also introduced new layers of corruption and operational inefficiencies, all of which run contrary to the Federal Government’s objectives of promoting transparency and facilitating trade within the maritime sector.

According to him, “It is regrettable that the requested stakeholders’ engagement with the NPA Managing Director — which was intended to address these very issues — has suffered undue delay. This delay has allowed the problem to fester, further frustrating industry players and tarnishing Nigeria’s image as a business-friendly maritime hub.

“As the President of APFFLON, I must emphasize that the current situation poses a serious threat to the Ease of Doing Business policy and the broader efforts of the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC). The black-market manipulation of ETO access contradicts the principles of accountability and efficiency that the NPA and the Federal Government have pledged to uphold.”

In resolving this problem, APFFLON therefore urged the NPA Managing Director to immediate convey the postponed stakeholders’ engagement to deliberate on the inaccessibility and abuse of the ETO platform.

The association also demanded a comprehensive audit and review of the ETO system to identify loopholes exploited by unauthorized operators.

APFFLON called for the establishment of a transparent, user-friendly, and monitored process to restore public confidence in the ETO platform.

It also called for collaboration with stakeholders, including freight forwarders’ associations, truck owners, and regulatory agencies, to ensure that the ETO aligns fully with trade facilitation standards.

Ogunojemite reaffirms APFFLON’s commitment to partnering with the NPA and all relevant authorities to ensure that Nigeria’s port operations reflect the efficiency, transparency, and integrity that are vital to international trade competitiveness.

“We urge the NPA Management to treat this matter with utmost urgency to prevent further erosion of stakeholder confidence and to realign the ETO system with the Federal Government’s noble objectives for the maritime industry,”

The ETO platform, introduced by the NPA as a cornerstone of the Federal Government’s Ease of Doing Business and Trade Facilitation initiatives, was designed to eliminate the notorious gridlock around the nation’s ports, streamline truck movements, and promote transparency in port logistics operations. Unfortunately, recent developments have revealed that the system is now plagued by severe accessibility challenges.