Lagos State Truck and Cargo Operators Committee (LASTCOC) has sought Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s intervention to avert a brewing crisis within the ranks of maritime transporters in the state.

The call was contained a letter to the governor, dated January 14, 2024, and copied to the National Security Adviser; Inspector General of Police; National Director, Directorate of State Services (DSS); Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State; Ministry of Transportation, Lagos State; Commissioner of Police and State Director, Directorate of State Services, Shangisha Lagos.

The letter, signed by the chairman of LASTCOC, Lukman Shittu, highlighted a crisis between factions of the National Association of Maritime Transport Operators (NAMTOP), even as he called for urgent intervention to avert industry-wide problems.

The committee said the crisis is being incited by an alleged impostor of the defunct Council of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations (COMTUA). He said the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by all the trucking bodies that established it was terminated on July 20, 2023.

According to the letter, COMTUA was terminated by the trucking bodies, which formed it due to alleged selfish motives, contempt, and instigation of violence against authorities and stakeholders by the then leadership.

The committee said while COMTUA is no longer in existence or recognised by law, NAMTOP was formed, but its factionalisation caused truckers to form a unified body as directed by the Lagos State Government.

The committee explained that the legal vacuum led to the formation of LASTCOC by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation. LASTCOC is tasked with managing the affairs of truck and cargo operators to achieve ease of doing business.

The committee explained that both factions of NAMTOP have equal representation in LASTCOC, even as he described the recent actions by the impostor and his faction as a conspiracy to reverse the progress in traffic orderliness and instigate confrontations.

According to the committee, the alleged impostor had earlier given his support for the harmonised Lagos State Government ticket, aimed at ending multiple imposition of tickets.

It lamented that the sudden change in stance and accusations of double taxation is hypocritical. It urged stakeholders to disregard previous petitions against LASTCOC, describing them as motivated by personal greed and selfish interests, while expressing commitment to working with authorities, unions, and relevant stakeholders to promote trade, seamless cargo evacuation, free-flow of traffic, and ease of doing business in the industry.

The committee claimed that the allegations are a deliberate attempt to cause a crisis and called on relevant security agencies to question the impostor and hold him responsible for any potential breakdown of law and order.

Meanwhile, the special adviser to the governor on transportation, Sola Giwa, has directed the committee to adopt legal means to harmonise the fees approved by the state government to eradicate double taxation, illegal dues, ungazetted local government levies and union dues. With this initiative, the state said tens of billions of naira are expected to be saved yearly by truckers and investors in the maritime sector.