The Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Onne Youth Congress and other stakeholders at the Onne Seaport, Rivers State, have threatened to shutdown from Monday, August 17, 2026, over the deplorable condition of roads and other infrastructure at the port.
The groups also demanded the immediate suspension of the E-Call-Up System, alleging that it has become a means of imposing arbitrary charges on truckers without corresponding investment in critical port infrastructure.
Speaking at a joint press conference at Onne Port, Wednesday, Chairman, ANLCA Onne Seaport Chapter, Ifeanyi Isikaku, who read a communique endorsed by the associations, described the port roads as “death traps,” warning that the condition posed serious risks to truckers, port users and members of the host community.
The stakeholders expressed concern over the absence of adequate holding bays, indiscriminate parking of trucks and the resulting damage to vehicles and trucks operating in the port.
Isikaku accused the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) of reneging on an earlier commitment to provide sufficient holding bays and other facilities before introducing the E-Call-Up System.
He said the associations had resolved to stop participating in the system until their demands were addressed.
“We unanimously resolve that all access roads within Onne leading to the port be properly maintained to prevent frequent container fall incidents, injuries to members and loss of lives arising from the deplorable state of the roads,” he said.
He added that members would no longer participate in what he described as “arbitrary and bogus payments” associated with the E-Call-Up System.
According to him, implementation of the system should be suspended until adequate holding bays are constructed to accommodate the large number of trucks operating at Onne Port.
Isikaku further called on the Federal Government to channel part of the revenue generated by the port towards infrastructure development.
“We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy to immediately allocate a fraction of the over N487 billion revenue realised from Onne Port between January and July 2026 to fix and maintain the internal access roads leading to Onne Port,” he said.
Also speaking, Chairman, MWUN Onne Seaport Chapter, Uche Ogbu, confirmed that maritime workers would join the industrial action from Monday.
“We are the people that are directly carrying the burden of the E-Call-Up financials. We, in collaboration with the whole association itself and the community, are going to down tools from Monday,” Ogbu said.
He added that truckers would load their consignments but would not make E-Call-Up payments.
Representing the Onne Youth Congress, Obari Johnson said the poor state of the roads had also resulted in deaths and serious disruption of community life.
He said residents had been killed by trucks, while heavy truck presence had at times cut off sections of the community, making movement difficult.
“The road is taking the lives of members of the community, very young people who are promising to die because of negligence,” Johnson said, urging the government to urgently intervene.
The stakeholders warned that unless their demands were met, the suspension of E-Call-Up participation and the planned strike would commence on August 17.
Blessing Ibunge
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