By Uzor Odigbo
No fewer than 1000 truck drivers and motor boys operating within the two seaports in Lagos State are exposed to the COVID-19 disease following lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other preventive items.
Investigations last week revealed that the maritime sector haulage operators have been neglected by their employers, associations and federal government agencies in cushioning the effect of the novel coronavirus.
We also gathered that transport unions and associations in haulage operations in the maritime sub sector have failed to provide the necessary kits for their respective employees.
Some of the less engaged truckers sighted along the Mile 2, Trinity and coconut axis of Apapa Oshodi expressway , were busy sleeping ,smoking and interacting with female hawkers.
Maritime agencies and other stakeholders in the industry have made positive and impactful donations to cushion the effect of the pandemic to the two tiers of government .
The truckers submitted that the donations by maritime operators were one-sided as nobody had deemed it fit to consider the plight of truckers since the beginning of the lockdown.
According to them, some transport groups made donations to the state and federal governments neglecting their immediate constituency.
They, therefore, passed a vote of no confidence in their employers and groups.
A driver who simply identified himself as Aliu Salisu, called out some of the associations for donating relief material to the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), describing it as “eye service,” adding that such gesture is disservice to humanity.
Salisu lamented that the Automated Teller Machines (ATM) within Apapa and its environs no longer dispense cash for them to feed in between the presidential lockdown noting that truck owners are not even bothered about their current predicament.
Another driver who preferred anonymity said since the presidential directive was pronounced , truck drivers and their assistants have not been given any form of palliative.
He noted that truckers are most vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic in the maritime industry adding without the service of the transporters, movement of goods and services would be stalled .
The driver lamented that a large number of truckers are vulnerable to contract the coronavirus pointing out that neglect on the part of government and other relevant stakeholders was quite discouraging to facilitate trade.
The driver who spoke in pidgin lamented that “We are not properly kitted thus vulnerable to COVID-19 and we are not happy because they feel we are not important in anyway.”
According to him, “Transportation activities in the maritime sector plays a key role in the movement of cargoes to any part of the country but it appears the government is not looking towards that direction.
“We need to be carried along because we are humans like any other stakeholders sub sector operators. There is no harm in providing all necessary palliative for us because most of us left our families far and wide and we don’t have food to buy not to talk of feeding.”
He called on NPA , NIMASA , Nigerian Shippers Council , Nigeria Customs Services, to provide the necessary kits for the truckers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
But reacting to the allegations levelled against truck owners and associations, Vice Chairman, Dry Cargo Section, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Alhaji Inuwa Abdullahi agreed that the drivers are vulnerable to the COVID19 adding that some of them believe that the virus was untrue.
“Yes is true within the first period of the lockdown those drivers and motor boys you see over 50% of them are drivers that comes from outside Lagos to drop empty container and in return load import, before they become trapped with the lockdown order and no body assume that it will arrived to these stage.
“Even at the beginning so many of them do not believe on the existing of the virus due fake news that is been sprayed out on some social media that the virus is for the rich men.
“For most of the drivers that their employers transferred money into their account for feeding,they could not cash the money as all the Banks ATM machines within the area could not dispense cash 2 days after the lockdown up to these moment the ATM machines are not paying i think that is the reason why they are asking for help.
Inuwa added that: “I believe some are getting little palliative through their employers representatives present in Lagos and even for some of us do assist some of them that approached us with little that we can afford.
He noted that” One of our member that base here in Lagos, assist with 6 cartons of hand sanitize to some of them that were found in that situation and we have equally advise every employers to provide the safety kits to their drivers.
“On the part of government hence they said the port will be working despite the lockdown,we expect and assume any driver approching the port gate without the necessary kits such as nosemarks and hand sanitizer the government agencies there should assist and provide for the driver before admitting into the port,”he explained.
On his part, Secretary , Kirikiri Lighter Terminal (KLT),Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN),Comrade Godwin Ikeji argued that some of the drivers were provided the PPE but added that they claimed to be uncomfortable with the items.
Ikeji lamented that the drivers are indeed vulnerable to contracting the COVID19 but stressed the need for government to focus on how to support them from further havoc .
