The Lagos State Committee on Cargo and Transport Operations (LASTCOC) has raised the alarm over attempts to tarnish the image and reputation of the committee.
The committee also refuted allegations of deploying touts and the creation of extortion points along the ports corridor as contained in a letter to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
LASTCOC was established by the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of Transportation to serve as an instrument of promoting ease of doing transport business in the state viz a viz eliminating multiple extortion of truckers.
The committee was also charged with promoting the free flow of traffic for trade facilitation, seamless evacuation of cargoes, traffic sanity and orderliness in the maritime logistics corridors of the country.
The Chairman of LASTCOC, Lukman Shittu, said the committee has never authorised or deployed any group of persons or individuals at checkpoints in the Apapa/Tincan logistics corridors to extort truckers or pass any priority truck.
He said the committee can’t contradict its core mandate and start extorting truckers whose interest it is out to protect.
Shittu said the allegations are from blackmailers, who want the committee out of the way as the activities of the committee are stopping their illegalities at the seaport corridors and access roads.
“We urge Sanwo-Olu, not to only disregard the spurious letter from the said blackmailer, and a rabble-rouser, who is out to cause crisis and bloodbath in the maritime industry through his various activities but hold him responsible for any breakdown of law and order.
“LASTCOC is poised on discharging due diligence, fairness and justice in the discharge of its mandate in line with its terms of reference to achieve the T.H.E.M.E AGENDA + policy of the Lagos State government in the area of transportation,” he said.
