Managing Director of Trucks Transit Parks (TTP), Jama Onwubuariri, said in an interview with ADAKU ONYENUCHEYA that the Ètò electronic truck management system had transformed access to the Apapa and Tin Can Island port corridors by replacing a largely manual and unpredictable process with scheduled and technology-driven truck movements.
According to him, haulage costs on some port-related movements that previously reached about N1.4 million had fallen to between N350,000 and N500,000 in 2025.
“The savings come primarily from eliminating the inefficiencies associated with prolonged truck waiting and unpredictable port access,” Onwubuariri said.
He explained that the reduction had been achieved through shorter turnaround times, improved truck utilisation, fewer unnecessary journeys and reduced informal costs associated with prolonged waiting around the port corridors.
“By reducing turnaround times, improving truck utilisation, and cutting informal costs and unnecessary journeys, haulage costs have fallen substantially,” he said.
However, he cautioned against assuming that the reduction in logistics costs would automatically translate into equivalent reductions in retail prices.
“We cannot say every naira saved in logistics automatically translates into a lower retail price because consumer prices have many other drivers. But efficient logistics reduces high supply chain costs and improves the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses,” he said.
From port gridlock to scheduled movement
For years, congestion around Lagos ports became one of the most visible manifestations of inefficiency in Nigeria’s logistics chain, with trucks frequently forming long queues along access roads and surrounding communities.
Onwubuariri said the problem was not simply the number of trucks seeking access to the ports, but the absence of a coordinated system capable of determining when and how each truck should move.
“The central problem was not simply the number of trucks on the roads, but the absence of a predictable, transparent and coordinated system for managing access to the ports,” he said.
Before the introduction of Ètò, truck movement was largely fragmented, creating uncertainty for transporters, importers, exporters and cargo owners.
“Our objective was to move from a manual environment to a technology-enabled, first-come, first-served system in which truck movements could be planned, scheduled, and monitored,” Onwubuariri said.
He identified resistance to change as one of the major challenges encountered during implementation.
“The biggest obstacle was resistance to change,” he said, noting that some truckers feared exclusion from port access, while others were reluctant to surrender influence built around the old system.
There was also scepticism over whether a technology-driven system could be effectively enforced and deliver measurable improvements.
Millions of truck movements processed
The scale of activity handled through the platform illustrates the size of the logistics challenge facing Nigeria's ports.
TTP said Ètò has processed more than 3.8 million port and non-port-bound truck movements over 64 months, while average port-access and evacuation turnaround has fallen to less than two days in some operations.
Onwubuariri said the significance of the figure goes beyond the number of trucks processed.
“The figure demonstrates the scale and complexity of the logistics ecosystem. Millions of truck movements represent millions of potential points of congestion, delay and operational failure if they are not properly coordinated,” he said.
According to him, Ètò has fundamentally changed the approach to truck management.
“Ètò has shifted the approach from simply asking, ‘How do we clear the traffic?’ to ‘How do we plan and optimise the movement of every truck?’”
Through scheduling, access control, visibility and data, he said stakeholders can now make decisions based on actual truck movements rather than assumptions.
Turnaround drops from weeks to days
The introduction of electronic scheduling and controlled port access has also significantly reduced the amount of time trucks spend waiting before gaining access to terminals.
Onwubuariri said truck turnaround, which previously could take between two and three weeks, had fallen to about three or four days and, in some operations, to less than two days.
He attributed the improvement to several interventions operating simultaneously, including digital scheduling, controlled access, terminal integration, electronic verification, coordination of truck parks and pre-gates, real-time visibility and reduced human intervention.
“Previously, trucks could spend days or weeks waiting because there was no reliable mechanism for coordinating when they should proceed to the port,” he said.
“Ètò introduced that predictability, moving turnaround from weeks to days and subsequently, to less than two days in some operations.”
However, he stressed that further gains could not be achieved through technology alone.
“Further improvement is technically possible, but it cannot come from Ètò alone,” he said.
He listed terminal operations, cargo documentation, port infrastructure, road conditions and cargo release processes as areas requiring further attention.
“Our ambition is to make the unnecessary waiting time approach zero,” he added.
Roads, terminals remain weak links
Despite the progress recorded through the electronic call-up system, major challenges remain outside TTP's direct control.
According to Onwubuariri, poor infrastructure remains one of the most significant constraints to improving port efficiency.
“Technology cannot substitute for inadequate or poorly maintained roads,” he said.
He called for port access roads, bridges, drainage systems and traffic corridors to be treated as critical economic infrastructure.
Beyond physical infrastructure, he said delays caused by documentation, Customs procedures, terminal processes and cargo release could undermine improvements achieved through truck scheduling.
“We also need greater coordination among government agencies and private-sector stakeholders involved in cargo clearance,” he said.
“Delays in documentation, terminal processes, Customs procedures or cargo release affect the entire supply chain.”
He also called for consistent enforcement, greater terminal capacity, additional truck holding facilities, improved road networks and alternative access routes.
“Ètò provides the digital layer, bringing structure, visibility, scheduling and control to truck movement, but the wider physical ecosystem must be capable of supporting that efficiency,” he said.
TTP defends transparency of truck allocation
Concerns over transparency, preferential access and the allocation of truck slots have periodically accompanied electronic call-up systems.
Onwubuariri said Ètò was designed to reduce the influence of personal connections and arbitrary decisions in determining port access.
“Fairness, transparency and equal access are fundamental to Ètò,” he said.
“Access is determined by defined standard operating procedures and verifiable data, not personal connections, influence or the ability to manipulate the process.”
He said booking, batching and scheduling were system-driven and automated, creating an auditable transaction trail.
“We have also deliberately designed the ecosystem to include independent transporters and smaller operators. A small transporter that meets the required standards should have the same opportunity to participate,” he said.
“Ultimately, access should be earned through compliance and verified requirements, not connections or influence.”
Cybersecurity becomes critical
With millions of transactions passing through the platform, cybersecurity has become an important component of the system's operation.
TTP has introduced measures including multi-factor authentication and booking-code randomisation, while also deploying layered access controls, continuous monitoring, audit trails, validation mechanisms and transaction controls.
“Cybersecurity is a core operational requirement for us,” Onwubuariri said.
He added that the company continually reviews vulnerabilities and updates security protocols as cyber threats evolve.
“No single security mechanism is sufficient, so we use multiple layers of verification to make unauthorised access and manipulation significantly more difficult,” he said.
The company is also strengthening vehicle and identity verification through technologies such as electronic tags, which can connect a truck's digital identity to its physical movement.
According to him, this would reduce opportunities for impersonation, number-plate manipulation and fraudulent bookings.
Ètò expands into export logistics
The integration of the Central Bank of Nigeria's Nigeria Export Proceeds, or NXP, system into Ètò is another component of the effort to digitise cargo movement.
Onwubuariri said the integration was intended to give export cargo the same level of digital coordination available to import movements.
“The rationale is simple: exports should have the same level of digital coordination as imports,” he said.
Previously, exporters often had to manually verify documentation and track export proceeds, sometimes after cargo had already reached the port gate.
“With the integration, verification happens upfront as part of the same digital process that sequences the truck,” he said.
He said the development was particularly relevant to Nigeria's drive to increase non-oil exports.
“Technology allows data to move ahead of the cargo, so that by the time a truck arrives, the necessary information is already settled rather than becoming another source of delay,” he said.
TTP reports 100 per cent system uptime
Given the critical role of Ètò in port operations, system reliability remains essential.
TTP currently reports 100 per cent Ètò uptime since 2021, with Onwubuariri saying the platform's architecture includes infrastructure monitoring, redundancy, data protection and operational support systems designed to ensure high availability.
“Reliability is fundamental because Ètò supports a critical part of the port ecosystem,” he said.
The company, he added, continuously monitors the platform to detect potential problems early and has technology and operations teams working together to resolve incidents.
He also pointed to recovery and continuity mechanisms designed to restore critical operations quickly in the event of a major disruption.
“Resilience is also about recovery,” he said. “We have continuity and recovery mechanisms designed to ensure that, even in the event of a major technical or external disruption, critical operations can be restored quickly and stakeholders are not left without visibility or support.”
Need for a single digital ecosystem
As Nigeria advances plans for greater port digitalisation, including the National Single Window and other port community systems, Onwubuariri said Ètò should be integrated into a wider digital architecture rather than operate as an isolated platform.
“The future should not be a collection of disconnected digital platforms. It should be an interoperable ecosystem where systems communicate, and stakeholders do not repeatedly provide the same information,” he said.
He said Ètò should complement rather than compete with national platforms.
“Our role is to provide the mobility layer – connecting cargo readiness, truck scheduling, access control, terminal operations and physical movement, while integrating with systems responsible for trade documentation, customs, payments and other regulatory processes,” he said.
He identified interoperability, common data standards and secure application programming interfaces as critical to achieving that objective.
“When done properly, an importer or exporter should experience a single connected digital journey rather than multiple disconnected processes,” he said.
Lessons from global ports
Onwubuariri said TTP's research visits to major ports and cities in Dubai, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany had provided useful lessons for Nigeria.
He said Dubai demonstrated the importance of integrated planning, the United States showed the value of appointment-based systems and strong terminal integration, while the United Kingdom illustrated how port community systems could reduce friction through shared data.
Germany, he said, demonstrated the potential of real-time sensor data and information sharing among stakeholders.
“The common lesson is that successful ports are ecosystems in which infrastructure, policy, technology, people, and processes work together. Predictability is at the centre,” he said.
While Nigeria had made progress in digitising truck access, he said the country continued to lag in the physical infrastructure supporting port operations.
“Where we still lag is in the physical layer – road infrastructure, berth depth and dredging, power reliability and the number of separate agencies a truck or shipment must satisfy,” he said.
He argued that these gaps must be addressed through continued infrastructure investment and the National Single Window.
Port efficiency has economy-wide impact
Beyond reducing congestion and truck waiting time, efficient port logistics has implications for virtually every sector dependent on imported inputs or exported products.
For manufacturers, Onwubuariri said, predictable truck movement means faster access to raw materials and quicker evacuation of finished products.
For shipping lines and terminal operators, it translates into better equipment utilisation and more predictable cargo flows, while freight forwarders and transporters benefit from improved asset utilisation and fewer unproductive hours.
“It also enables businesses to plan inventory, warehousing and distribution more efficiently,” he said.
At the national level, he argued that efficient ports would improve trade competitiveness while reducing losses associated with congestion, fuel wastage, vehicle downtime and delays.
“The real impact of Ètò therefore goes beyond the number of trucks processed; it is about improving the productivity of an entire economic corridor,” Onwubuariri said.