Dangote Refinery: Lagos insists on truck e-call up system along Lekki-Epe axis

By Olasunkanmi Akoni

The Lagos State Government has expressed readiness to commence enforcement of a technology-driven initiative, electronic-Call Up System for truckers along the Lekki-Epe corridor, effective from tomorrow, Monday, June 16, 2025.

Meanwhile, training has commenced to capture at least 80,000 drivers, particularly truckers across the state, on road safety for users by the end of 2025.

On the e-Call Up system, Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, who stated this at the weekend, stressed that the measure has become necessary with mounting traffic pressure caused by the increasing volume of articulated trucks along the corridor.

“The Lekki-Epe axis, which hosts critical investments such as the Dangote Refinery, Lekki Deep Sea Port, and several oil and gas installations, continues to witness a surge in industrial and commercial activities. With only one major exit route in the area, this growth has intensified congestion concerns.

“Increase in the number of trucks plying the axis necessitated the introduction of e-Call Up System, hence, the urgency of proactive traffic management measures.

“We currently have between 360 and 400 trucks operating in the corridor daily, but projections show that the number could rise significantly with Dangote Refinery alone capable of dispatching 3,000 to 4,000 trucks once operations reach full capacity,” he noted.

Osiyemi further explained that the e-Call Up System was designed to prevent chaos on the roads by regulating truck movements using a structured scheduling framework, stating that under the new regime, truck operators will be required to register online and upload their Authority to Load (ATL) documents.

The commissioner mentioned that only trucks that are validated and cleared will be granted access to designated truck parks, where they will await an electronic call-up notification before proceeding to their loading destinations, “the process is aimed at reducing illegal parking, improving traffic flow, enhancing security and safeguarding road infrastructure along the busy corridor.

“The initiative marks another bold step by the State Government in its commitment to transforming transportation and logistics management in Lagos, especially in fast-growing industrial hubs like the Lekki-Epe axis.”

Osiyemi, therefore, reiterated the need for voluntary compliance by all stakeholders with strict warnings for total enforcement.

Sequel to the development, in order to instil sanity, the state government had, sometime in January 2025, at a stakeholders’ forum, announced plans to commence an e-Call Up system along the Lekki-Epe Corridor, which subsequently witnessed a series of postponements.

LASDRI embarks on truck drivers’ training to upscale skills

The Lagos State Drivers Institute, LASDRI, has disclosed plans to train at least 80,000 drivers by the end of 2025 on personal safety as well as other road users across the state.

LASDRI General Manager, Mrs Afusat Tiamiyu, stated this during a phased special training session of the Association of Maritime Reefer Trucks Owners, AMRTO, drivers at the agency’s headquarters, LSTC Yard Oshodi, Lagos.

According to Tiamiyu, “From January till April ending, we have been able to train 24,000 drivers, and we are targeting like 80,000 by the end of this year.

“We were able to do 56,000 last year and we want to work on getting more, that informs why we don’t stay in our office, we move, and we do on-site training for drivers.”

According to the LASDRI boss, who personally engaged the AMRTO drivers in an educative and interactive session, harped on the fact that safe driving is the main target of the training while availing them of the 3Cs important tips of driving, which includes Caution, Concentration and Consideration.

Tiamiyu, however, noted that the agency is in partnership with AMRTO to train their truck drivers, 150 in total, on how to be professional drivers.

“For the AMRTO, we are doing their training in phases; we have done two. This is the third phase; the first set of people they were 21 in number; the second phase was 19, and today, they are 15.

“What they are taught is that driving is not a commoner’s affair; you have to be trained. We believe that with continuous orientation, training, and retraining, we will be able to get the best out of them.

“Majority of them are ignorant of what they are required to know but we are taking them back to classroom, I have told them even the first two sets we have been able to train have good stories about the agency because we took our time to take them through the skills required to be defensive drivers.

“After the training we usually subject them to computer-based test, we don’t compromise our position after the training in Lagos state here.”

In a chat with reporters, the AMRTO Chairman, Mr Gbadeyan Babalola, said that the association took the step in alignment with the state-driving culture, adding that a specialized job requires specialized training.

“The training is to align our drivers with the standard driving culture in Lagos state, given LASDRI’s spacious compound which can accommodate up to 500 drivers at a time, but because of the essence of our job which is specialized, we break them into batches.”

Also, Mr. Pessu Temisanren, AMRTO’s financial secretary, added that the aim is to enhance truck drivers’ skills, given the delicate goods they move from one point to the other.

Vanguard News