LAGOS, Nigeria – Once synonymous with crippling traffic and staggering economic losses, Nigeria’s busiest ports are seeing real transformation through the deployment of Ètò, an electronic call-up system built by Trucks Transit Parks Ltd. (TTP) in partnership with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA). In this feature, Nigerian Tribune speaks with Irabor Akonoman, TTP’s Head of Operations, and Richard Emenim, Head of Corporate Development, to understand how Ètò has reshaped logistics, slashed haulage costs, and redefined access to Lagos port zones.

Before Ètò: Chaos, Extortion, and Economic Drain

Before 2021, Apapa and Tincan Island were overwhelmed. Port-bound trucks congested bridges and highways, clogging routes from Apapa to Mile 2, Oshodi, and even Obanikoro. “People sold their homes in Apapa because they couldn’t access them,” said Richard Emenim. Every trucker, whether they had business or not, tried to get into the port, creating disorder. Informal actors imposed illegal checkpoints, demanding fees of up to ₦300,000 per crossing.

Traffic congestion, before Ètò

This chaos wasn’t just inconvenient; it was economically devastating. “Nigeria lost about $10 billion annually due to the Apapa gridlock,” Irabor stated, citing reports from the Africa International Trade and Commerce Research. Haulage costs soared, often tripling. A journey that should cost ₦350,000 ballooned to over ₦1 million. Trucks took two to three weeks to move cargo, wrecking efficiency and spoiling perishables. As cargo was diverted to neighbouring ports, Nigeria forfeited vital revenue and trade.

Traffic congestion before Ètò

During-Ètò: Order, Speed, and Efficiency

Since the launch of Ètò in 2021, truck queues have declined dramatically. “Some corridors have seen an 80% reduction,” Richard confirmed. A drive from Oshodi to Tincan now takes 10–15 minutes, a trip that was once a multi-hour ordeal. Satellite imagery confirms the shift from chaos to sanity – where roads were once blocked with trucks, they are now clear.

Satellite images of road condition before Ètò (Source: BusinessPost)

Traffic congestion before Ètò (Drone footage)

More importantly, Ètò introduced predictability. “Transporters now know when to move and how long a trip will take,” Irabor explained. A journey that once lasted weeks now finishes in three days. Fuel consumption, warehousing, and demurrage costs have dropped significantly. Ètò also dismantled the informal payment network that cost truckers up to ₦300,000.

Cargo movement is faster, and logistics costs have dropped over 65%. Consumers benefit from lower prices, and exporters now send perishables without fear of spoilage. “Efficiency is real, evident and verifiable,” Irabor said.

After Ètò, freer roads (drone footage)

After Ètò, freer roads

Government Revenue and Trade Boost

This efficiency translates directly into increased revenue. Faster cargo clearance means more goods move, and more money is pumped into the economy. “Export boxes arrive earlier; vessels load faster; revenues go up,” said Irabor. Nigeria’s GDP benefits as port productivity improves.

Nigeria also rose 22 places in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index in 2023, moving from 110th to 88th. Ètò is being studied by countries across Africa. The International Maritime Organization even praised its structured approach during a visit, acknowledging the solution’s adaptability to Nigeria’s scale and complexity.

Ètò as Ecosystem: The Technology and People Behind It

Ètò is more than a scheduling app. It integrates satellite parks, pre-gates, RFID technology, IoT sensors, and a command-and-control centre into a single ecosystem. “Our model rests on three pillars: tech, infrastructure, and stakeholder engagement,” said Irabor.

Real-time data from road observers informs decisions on truck releases. Field officers guide drivers, while command-centre teams monitor efficiency. TTP’s technology is 100% in-house – coded, engineered, and maintained by Nigerian teams.

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“We’ve integrated with all major terminals at the ports and use a private radio network to connect parks across states,” Richard shared. Over 170 system features have been added since 2021 to improve control, ease, speed, and security of the Ètò system.

After Ètò

Investment and Measurable Impact

TTP has invested millions in the Ètò system. The impact is evident. A terminal once limited to 50 truck evacuations daily now processes 400–500. Tankers now move in and out of loading bays without hindrance.

TTP has also undertaken community-focused projects. It has rehabilitated roads around Lilypond and Ijora, restored the Apapa Club, and supported local communities like Ijora Badia to build adequate sanitation facilities as part of its commitment to community development. “We’re not just solving logistics; we’re rebuilding environments, and giving back to society”, said Richard.

Orderly arrangement of trucks in Lilypond Container Park

Ongoing Challenges: Technology, Policy, and Human Factors

Despite incredible milestones brought about by Ètò, some challenges remain. “Some users aren’t tech-savvy,” Richard noted. To tackle this, TTP continues to simplify the interface and expand training across different stakeholder groups and unions. More pressing is the delay in regulatory approvals for tools like RFID tags and EITN (Ètò Interchange Transaction Numbers). The EITN links each container or bulk cargo due for evacuation with a particular truck access booking on Ètò.

RFID tags, already prototyped by TTP, would prevent ticket resale and racketeering. “It’s a unique digital ID. You can’t duplicate or transfer it,” Richard explained. The EITN would help terminals confirm truck-cargo matching before processing. “With both solutions approved, fraud and delays would further drastically reduce, improving efficiency.”

Sample E-Tage StickerFR

Extortion is another concern. Despite dismantling illegal checkpoints, some actors create artificial bottlenecks. “They just relocate and start again elsewhere,” Irabor said. TTP continues to call for a firm consequence management system to hold offenders accountable.

What Comes Next: National Expansion and Digital Integration

TTP’s ambitions extend beyond Apapa and Tincan. It is developing a Yard Traffic Management System to help factories control and optimise truck movements on-site, complete with dashboards for real-time tracking.

They also plan to replicate Ètò across West Africa through a “logistics hub” network—transit trailer parks with facilities like laundries and fuel stations, all connected to Ètò. Manufacturers will be able to pre-plan routes, stopovers, and delivery timelines across states, and custom inspection centres across multiple borders will improve trade under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Tracking technology is in the works to help logistics firms monitor fleet movements, improve planning, and enhance cost efficiency. A national trade dashboard is also in development to help the government track cargo volumes, vessel activity, and terminal throughput in real-time.

“Currently, Customs, Immigration, and other agencies work in silos,” Richard said. TTP is proposing a unified portal with agency-specific modules. This will reduce paperwork, streamline clearances, and curb extortion while giving policymakers reliable data for national planning.

Conclusion

Ètò has turned chaos into coordination and sanity. From drastically reducing truck queues and slashing haulage costs to boosting revenue and restoring sanity to Lagos ports, it has set a new standard in logistics innovation and mobility technology. Built by Nigerians, for unique African challenges, Ètò is not just a solution—it’s a roadmap for transformation, that is suitable for replication across the region and beyond.

With further support, both from the public and private sectors, the Ètò system can scale continent-wide, bringing efficiency, transparency, and economic uplift to Africa’s logistics landscape and port communities.

Richard Emenim – Head of Corporate Development

Irabor Akonoman – Head of Operations

The Truck Transist Park (TTP) is making a new move to collaborate with ECOWAS and support regional governments in West Africa by deploying technology that would make seamless intra-African trade a reality.

This is after the company has successfully scheduled over 3 million truck trips to the port through Ètò since its inception in 2021.

The company’s Managing Director, Jamaica Onwubuariri, noted on Wednesday that this had led to a drastic reduction in gridlock, improved truck and cargo turnaround time in the port, saying it has blocked N2.5 trillion annual loss and a 450 per cent surge in cargo cost.

Safety lapses, bad roads and substandard trucks; racketeering and middlemen distorting pricing and processes; human interference in what should be seamless, technology-driven operations.”

He noted that there had been improved throughput for manufacturers’ trucks struggling to access the port from 40 to over 400 trucks daily as traffic stretched from Apapa to the Maryland axis and to the Cele axis of the Apapa Oshodi Express road.

With the ongoing partnerships with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), terminal operators, security agencies, unions, and associations to sustain progress, he explained that there had been continuous upgrades to the Ètò platform, closing loopholes, tightening controls, and enhancing user experience.

The managing director said: “This is not just about technology; it is about restoring confidence in the possibility that our ports can be efficient and compete favourably with others in the region.

“Recently, I had the privilege of embarking on a strategic trip across the ECOWAS subregion. What I experienced was both sobering and inspiring.

From Lagos to Ouagadougou, Abidjan, Monrovia, and other West African routes, the story is similar: heavy reliance on trucking, coupled with bottlenecks at borders, tolls, and highway corridors.

“The traffic management platform TTP has built in Nigeria is not just a national solution. Ètò is a model that would be scaled regionally.

“Imagine if every ECOWAS country operated a harmonised port truck scheduling, rest stop, and electronic tolling system that supports the multiple currencies used in the region, how much faster goods would move, how much cheaper trade would become, and how much closer we would be to realising the promise of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).”

According to him, the company’s focus was threefold: deepening efficiency at Nigerian ports through continuous technology and infrastructure upgrades, smarter data use and stronger enforcement collaboration.

Onwubuariri stressed: “The maritime and logistics industry was the backbone of commerce in Nigeria. Unless you grow your own food, drill your own borehole or manufacture your own generator, 90 per cent of the items we need daily would need to be delivered to us from somewhere else. In our case, in this country, most of these materials are imported.

“Every single day, about 2,000 trucks move through our Lagos ports and industrial corridors to pick up and drop off consumer and export cargo. But for over a decade leading up to 2021, this critical artery of trade has been clogged by problems we all know too well: Perennial congestion on the access roads; inefficient cargo evacuation.

Onwubuariri noted that the inefficiencies came at a heavy price as they increase turnaround time for trucks and cargo, inflate logistic costs, and ultimately hike the prices consumers pay for essential goods.

The managing director stressed that it was against this backdrop that the company introduced the Ètò electronic call-up system in 2021.

He explained: “When the then Governor-Elect, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, called in March 2019 to ask about how our company can solve the Apapa traffic situation, it was difficult to see into the future transformation that this initiative would go on to have on Nigeria’s port efficiency, maritime operations improvement and quality of life for Apapa and Tincan residential and commercial stakeholders.

The decisiveness of the Lagos State Government and the vision of the Nigerian Ports Authority management have been invaluable.

“I am proud to say that Ètò has changed the narrative. Port roads, once infamous for unending gridlock, are now more orderly and predictable. Access to the ports is no longer based on who you know or how rugged your boys are, but on a pre-set, transparent, technology-enabled process.”

The once-infamous traffic gridlock that crippled Lagos ports and disrupted Nigeria’s maritime economy for more than a decade is steadily giving way to sanity, thanks to the introduction of the Ètò electronic call-up system managed by Trucks Transit Parks Limited.

Since its deployment in February 2021, Ètò has successfully processed more than 3.2 million truck and non-port movements across Lagos in just 54 months, slashing turnaround times and cutting logistics costs nationwide.

Speaking at a press briefing in Lagos on Wednesday, TTP’s Managing Director, Jama Onwubuariri, described the transformation as one of the most significant milestones in Nigeria’s maritime history. He noted that the application now schedules about 2,000 truck trips daily, providing predictable access into Apapa and Tin Can ports.

“For over a decade, the arteries of trade in Lagos were clogged by gridlock, racketeering, unsafe trucks, and inefficient cargo evacuation,” Onwubuariri said. “Ètò has changed the narrative. Port access is now based on transparent, technology-enabled scheduling rather than human interference or bribes. This has restored confidence that our ports can compete favourably in the region.”

Before Ètò, trucks often spent two to three weeks waiting for entry, with drivers paying between N500,000 and N700,000 in bribes to move cargo. The inefficiencies drove cargo evacuation costs up by as much as 550 per cent for cars and 450 per cent for trucks. A Lagos Chamber of Commerce study in 2018 estimated that the country was losing N2.5tn annually to congestion at Apapa.

TTP’s Head of Corporate Development, Richard Emenim, said the electronic call-up system has already saved Nigeria’s maritime sector an estimated $1.7m annually while reducing the cost of moving cargo by 65 per cent. “Manufacturers are now able to repatriate goods faster, oil and gas evacuation has improved, and consumers are no longer forced to bear the brunt of inflated costs,” he explained.

The platform’s impact extends beyond efficiency. According to Emenim, TTP has created 225 direct jobs and more than 700 indirect jobs within the logistics ecosystem. The company has also conducted research in over 25 states, identifying traffic bottlenecks in major trade corridors such as Jigawa and Cross River, with plans to roll out nationwide logistics hubs.

These hubs, he said, will provide gated facilities where truckers can park, refuel—including compressed natural gas options—rest in hostels, and access recreational and repair services. “Our aim is to create a holistic ecosystem for truckers while sustaining gains made in port logistics,” he said.

Onwubuariri added that the system has cut truck turnaround times from weeks to just two or three days, reducing pressure on the supply chain. He stressed that TTP’s integration with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Nigeria Export Proceeds system has streamlined export processes and introduced direct fund payments, thereby enhancing transparency and eliminating middlemen.

Looking beyond Nigeria, he revealed that TTP is preparing to expand into the wider ECOWAS region, where countries face similar logistics inefficiencies. “During a recent strategic tour from Abidjan to Ouagadougou and Monrovia, we saw the same bottlenecks of border delays and road congestion. Our solution can unlock seamless intra-African trade,” he said.

Technology upgrades have also played a central role in the platform’s success. Olaoluwa Olorunda, TTP’s General Manager for ICT, disclosed that the company has deployed over 170 customer-experience features to improve user trust. Among them is DirectFund, a seamless booking and payment solution that has cut failed transactions from 10 per cent to less than one per cent.

To tighten security, TTP introduced a dual-code system—visible and invisible codes—for each booking, reducing stolen tickets to under 0.5 per cent. The company also launched Electronic Control Module version 2, an innovation that integrates with parking systems and IoT-enabled barriers to ensure only authorised trucks access restricted areas. Olorunda noted that this has improved barrier uptime and efficiency by over 80 per cent.

Reflecting on the early journey of Ètò, Onwubuariri recalled how then Governor-Elect of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, reached out in 2019 to explore solutions for the Apapa crisis. “The decisiveness of the Lagos State Government and the vision of the Nigerian Ports Authority management were invaluable,” he said.

Four years later, the results are visible: improved traffic flow along Apapa and Tin Can, reduced corruption and human interference, and enhanced compliance with truck safety standards. “This is not just about technology,” Onwubuariri said. “It is about restoring confidence that our ports can be efficient, transparent, and globally competitive.”

With over three million truck trips processed, billions saved for the economy, and expansion plans across Africa, TTP’s Ètò system stands as a case study in how technology, government partnership, and private-sector innovation can solve entrenched national problems.

Jama Ọnwụbụarịrị, managing director & Co-founder of TTP

Jámà Ọnwụbụarịrị, the managing director of Trucks Transit Parks Ltd (TTP), has outlined the company’s achievements in transforming Nigeria’s ports logistics while unveiling ambitious plans to expand its solutions across the ECOWAS region.

Speaking to journalists at a press conference held at the Lilypond Container Terminal in Lagos, Wednesday, Ọnwụbụarịrị stressed that Nigeria’s maritime and logistics sector remains the “backbone of commerce,” given that over 90% of the country’s daily consumer and industrial needs rely on imports delivered through its ports.

He highlighted the challenges that plagued the system for over a decade before 2021: perennial gridlock, unsafe trucks, racketeering, and human interference in port access.

“It was against this backdrop that Trucks Transit Parks introduced the Ètò electronic call-up system in 2021,” he said, noting that the platform combined technology, infrastructure, and stakeholder collaboration to restore order to Lagos port corridors.

Before Ètò (pre-2021):

• Truckers waited 2–3 weeks to access Lagos ports.
• Only <50 trucks evacuated daily out of 1,600 in chaos.
• Nigeria’s maritime sector lost ₦2.5 trillion annually due to inefficiencies.
• Cargo costs surged 450%.

After Ètò (2021–2025):

• 3 million truck movements processed in 54 months.
• 65% reduction in logistics cost.
• 2–3 days turnaround time, down from weeks.
• 225 direct jobs and 700 indirect jobs created.
• 170 new features deployed to enhance transparency and customer experience.
• 400+ trucks daily throughput achieved (up from 40 trucks/day).
• $1.7 million annual savings for maritime industry.
• Contributed to Nigeria’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI) improvement.
• Integration with CBN’s NXP system to streamline exports.
• Strengthened collaboration with key stakeholders including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos State Government, terminal operators, unions, and security agencies.

“Access to the ports is no longer based on who you know, but on a transparent, technology-enabled process,” Ọnwụbụarịrị emphasized.

Regional Ambitions: From Lagos to ECOWAS

The TTP boss also revealed that his recent strategic tour across West African trade routes—from Ouagadougou to Abidjan and Monrovia, exposed a common dependence on trucking, coupled with inefficiencies at borders and toll points.

He argued that Nigeria’s Ètò model can serve as a regional framework for harmonised truck scheduling, rest stops, and electronic tolling across ECOWAS.

Such integration, he said, would fast-track goods movement, reduce costs, and support the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

“TTP stands ready to partner with ECOWAS governments to make seamless intra-African trade not just a vision, but a reality,” he declared.

Looking Ahead

Outlining TTP’s roadmap, Ọnwụbụarịrị listed three key priorities for TTP, as deepening efficiency at Nigerian ports through data-driven solutions, stronger enforcement, and infrastructure upgrades; expanding technology footprint with innovations like electronic tags, RFID, and AI-powered compliance systems, and driving regional integration by positioning Trucks Transit Parks as a trusted partner in West Africa’s logistics space.

Ọnwụbụarịrị commended the Nigerian media for playing a watchdog role and urged continued partnership in shaping public discourse.

“When the ports work, Nigeria works. And when Nigeria works, Africa prospers,” he concluded.

Tags: AfCFTAECOWASEtoÈtò electronic call-up systemJama OnwubuaririTrucks Transit ParksTTPTTP ECOWAS