Maritime workers, customs agents, youths and other stakeholders operating at the Onne Port in Rivers State have threatened to shut down port activities if the Federal Government fails to fix the deplorable internal roads and suspend E-Call Up levies on trucks.
The stakeholders, under the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents and Onne community groups, issued the four-day ultimatum at a joint press conference in Onne on Wednesday.
The deadline expires on Monday, August 17, 2026.
They accused the Nigerian Ports Authority of implementing the electronic truck call-up system without providing adequate holding or loading bays for the large number of trucks operating around the port.
According to them, the situation has resulted in indiscriminate truck parking, traffic congestion and dangerous conditions for workers, residents and other port users.
The Eastern Port chairman of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, Uche Ogbu, said workers and other stakeholders would withdraw their services if the Federal Government failed to address their concerns.
“We are the people carrying the burden of the E-Call Up levies,” Ogbu said.
He said the unions and Onne communities would “down tools” from Monday and move to stop E-Call Up operations at the port.
Ogbu also accused the NPA of failing to provide adequate loading bays despite repeated appeals from stakeholders.
He argued that the authority should escalate the infrastructure crisis to the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy and the Presidency instead of focusing mainly on the E-Call Up system.
The Onne chapter chairman of the Association of Nigeria Licensed Customs Agents, Chief Ifeanyi Isikaku, also called on the Federal Government to use part of the revenue generated from the port to rehabilitate its access roads.
Isikaku claimed that the Onne Port Command generated approximately N439bn in customs revenue between January and July 2026, while the Oil and Gas Free Zone Customs generated another N48bn during the same period.
He said the combined N487bn figure showed the economic importance of the port and argued that part of the revenue should support infrastructure around the facility.
The customs agents also raised concerns over the condition of roads leading to the port, saying the situation had contributed to container falls, damage to goods, injuries and potential loss of lives.
They demanded an immediate end to illegal parking of trucks on Onne roads and called for adequate holding bays before the E-Call Up system could continue.
The stakeholders also resolved that their members would no longer participate in what they described as arbitrary payments associated with the truck call-up system.
The E-Call Up system was introduced by the NPA to regulate truck movements around the port and tackle congestion. Truck park operators in Onne had previously supported its implementation, saying it could improve traffic management and restore order around the port corridor.
The latest disagreement, however, centres on the adequacy of infrastructure supporting the system.
The dispute comes as the Federal Government pushes new investments aimed at improving port infrastructure. In May, the Federal Executive Council approved independent power projects for the Onne and Apapa port corridors.
Onne remains a strategically important maritime hub, particularly for Nigeria’s oil and gas industry, while also handling containerised, bulk and general cargo.
The threatened shutdown could therefore affect cargo movement, logistics operators, customs agents and businesses dependent on activities at the port.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the NPA spokesperson at Onne, Okoroafor Nwachukwu, were unsuccessful. Several calls reportedly did not go through, while a message sent to him had not received a response as of Wednesday evening.
The stakeholders said they would proceed with the planned suspension of E-Call Up operations from Monday unless the Federal Government intervened.
