By Loveth Anyaegbunam
Dr. Increase Uche Former president of NAGAFF during a press briefing on Thursday in Lagos.
The National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders (NAGAFF) has applauded the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Truck Transit Parks Ltd (TTP) for their efforts in significantly easing traffic congestion along the Apapa and Tin Can port corridors. They believe these actions have greatly improved trade and helped the national economy grow.
During a press conference on Thursday, NAGAFF President High Chief Tochukwu Ezisi shared that the association’s regular performance checks showed a noticeable improvement in traffic flow since TTP introduced the Eto digital traffic management system.
Ezisi recalled how chaotic things were before Eto. Traffic jams hurt business operations, forced many companies to move away from Apapa, caused property values to drop, and led to significant revenue losses for both federal and state governments, despite several attempts to solve the congestion.
“Thanks to the creativity of the NPA and the former Ministry of Transportation, a smart choice was made to work with TTP. In less than two years, the severe gridlock began to improve, bringing relief to port operators,” Ezisi explained.
According to findings from NAGAFF’s Cargo Watch, TTP has handled about 2.7 million truck movements destined for or coming from ports over nearly four years.
Ezisi noted this has resulted in a 65% drop in cargo transport costs and a remarkable reduction in truck turnaround time from 2–3 weeks down to less than three days.
The NAGAFF President also pointed out that cargo removal at Lagos ports has greatly increased.
“In the pre-Eto period, fewer than 50 trucks were cleared each day; now we can clear over 400 trucks daily, especially helping fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and oil & gas companies,” he mentioned.
He also said that export logistics have improved as delays have been cut down significantly, meaning overseas buyers no longer ask Nigerian exporters for performance bonds. Containers arriving from other areas now reach the ports on time more consistently.
Beyond improving trade, Ezisi noted that these reforms have boosted real estate in Apapa and created over 225 direct jobs along with more than 500 additional roles related to port activities, providing important economic support for local communities.
While praising the NPA, TTP, and the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy for their successes, NAGAFF urged the government to build on these achievements by ensuring ongoing monitoring, continued investments, and strong political commitment to uphold standards.
“Nigeria must not go back to times of endless traffic jams and economic troubles,” Ezisi emphasized. “TTP has shown that homegrown solutions can tackle complex logistical issues. The government and all parties involved should encourage and support them for even better outcomes.”
