The Council of Maritime Transport Unions and Associations (COMTUA) has welcomed the recent position of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), which aligns with its longstanding warning that illegal checkpoints, taxes, and extortion are major drivers of rising food prices and economic hardship in the country.
COMTUA’s Publicity Secretary, Joseph Adekayaja, in a statement, said the governors’ declaration confirms the group’s earlier concerns that exploitative practices, including illegal call-up fees, roadblocks, and charges by both state and non-state actors, are strangling the economy and burdening ordinary Nigerians.
He described the endorsement by the NGF as a turning point in the fight against illegality in the transport and logistics sector.
“The Governors Forum has now affirmed what we have been saying all along — that these charges, roadblocks, and extortions are pushing up the cost of food and goods across the country. This is not just a transport issue, it’s an economic crisis,” Adekayaja said.
COMTUA called on all relevant stakeholders, including the federal and state governments, security agencies, and civil society, to take immediate steps to dismantle illegal roadblocks and stop the imposition of multiple levies on transporters.
The group further urged the Federal Government to support state-level reforms by enforcing legal frameworks and holding perpetrators accountable.
“We must all unite against this culture of exploitation. Call-up charges amount to double taxation, fraud, and should be condemned outright. The Nigerian people are suffering and cannot continue to bear the brunt of systemic corruption,” the statement added.
COMTUA reiterated its commitment to building a transparent and efficient transport system that supports free movement of goods, reduces inflation, and supports national development.
