Lagos teeters on the brink of a fresh fuel crisis as tanker drivers under the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) threaten to halt all loading operations on the Lekki‑Epe Corridor from Monday over the steep N12,500 e‑Call Up levy imposed per truck.
The move comes against the backdrop of Lagos State’s drive to tame the chronic gridlock that once crippled Apapa’s ports, a headache that cost the economy an estimated ₦19 billion in delays in 2021 alone.
Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat has defended the system as a vital traffic‑management tool, insisting e‑Call Up will “promote orderly flow” and avert the environmental fallout of diesel‑hungry queues.
Yet NARTO President Yusuf Othman argues the ₦12,500 charge is simply untenable for operators already grappling with rising maintenance and import costs.
“We proposed ₦2,500 from the outset,” Othman stressed, warning that without a downward revision, “our boys will not go and load tomorrow”.
Critics say the levy underscores a flawed privatisation of public infrastructure. Permanent Secretary Olawale Musa countered that the fee funds privately built facilities essential to preventing gridlock and curb pollution along the corridor.
Yet with the Dangote Refinery alone poised to dispatch up to 4,000 trucks daily at full capacity, experts warn such charges could choke supply chains, sparking rationing as early as next week.
The standoff risks more than commuter snarls—Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics recorded a 12 percent spike in inflation in May, driven largely by energy bottlenecks.
A halted supply at Lekki‑Epe could ripple across Lagos’s 22 million residents, driving pump prices skyward and rekindling protests reminiscent of the 2012 subsidy‑removal riots.
As negotiations enter a critical phase, Lagos’s political heavyweights must weigh the social cost of rigid levies against the economic imperative of smooth tanker flows. In a city defined by its hustle, few can afford to wait.
Additional reporting by Atlantic Post writer Taiwo Adebowale.
