Jama Onwubuariri is the managing director/Co-Founder of Trucks Transit Parks (TTP), a technology-driven logistics company in the maritime and industrial corridors. In this interview with Joseph Olaoluwa, he gives an overview of the technology deployed to improve congestion at the port, West African expansion plans, as well as other successes.
Ètò has been credited with helping to tackle the longstanding truck congestion around the Apapa and Tin Can Island ports. What was the central problem you set out to solve when you conceived the system, and what were the biggest obstacles to its implementation?
The central problem was not simply the number of trucks on the roads; it was the absence of a predictable, transparent and coordinated system for managing access to the ports.
Before Ètò, truck movement was largely fragmented, with long queues, significant human interference and uncertainty for transporters and cargo owners. Our objective was to move from a manual environment to a technology-enabled, first-come-first-served system where truck movements could be planned, scheduled and monitored.
The biggest obstacle was resistance to change. Truckers feared being excluded from port access, while others were reluctant to relinquish long-standing influence over the process. There was also scepticism about whether technology could be reliably enforced and deliver the promised results.
TTP says Ètò has processed more than 3.38 million port and non-port-bound truck movements in 57 months. What does this figure tell you about the scale of the logistics challenge around Nigeria’s ports, and how has the system changed the way truck traffic is managed?
The figure demonstrates the scale and complexity of the logistics ecosystem. Millions of truck movements represent millions of potential points of congestion, delay and operational failure if they are not properly coordinated.
Ètò has shifted the approach from simply asking, ‘How do we clear the traffic?’ to asking, ‘How do we plan and optimise the movement of every truck?’ Through structured scheduling, access control, visibility and data, stakeholders can make decisions based on actual movements rather than assumptions.
The impact has continued to grow, with TTP having processed more than 3.8 million movements over 64 months and average port-access and evacuation turnaround reduced to less than two days.
You have reported that Ètò reduced truck turnaround time from two to three weeks to about three to four days. What were the key interventions responsible for this dramatic improvement, and what further reduction is technically possible?
The improvement came from several interventions working together: digital scheduling, controlled access, terminal integration, electronic verification, better coordination of truck parks and pregates, real-time visibility and reduced human intervention.
Previously, trucks could spend days or weeks waiting because there was no reliable mechanism for coordinating when they should proceed to the port. Ètò introduced that predictability, moving turnaround from weeks to days and, subsequently, to less than two days in some operations.
Further improvement is technically possible, but it cannot come from Ètò alone. It requires improvements in terminal operations, cargo documentation, port infrastructure, road conditions and cargo-release processes. Our ambition is to make unnecessary waiting time approach zero.
TTP also says the system has reduced cargo transportation costs to and from Lagos ports by more than 65 per cent. How exactly have these savings been achieved, and to what extent are they being reflected in the final cost of goods to Nigerian consumers?
The savings come primarily from eliminating the inefficiencies associated with prolonged truck waiting and unpredictable port access. When a truck spends two or three weeks waiting, fuel, driver time, maintenance, accommodation, demurrage and opportunity costs accumulate.
By reducing turnaround to days, improving truck utilisation and cutting informal costs and unnecessary journeys, haulage costs have fallen substantially. In 2025, costs on some movements reportedly fell from as high as about N1.4 million to roughly N350,000-N500,000.
We cannot say every naira saved in logistics automatically translates into a lower retail price because consumer prices have many other drivers. But efficient logistics removes a high cost from the supply chain and improves the competitiveness of Nigerian businesses.
Despite the progress made with Ètò, port access roads and truck congestion remain major concerns for importers, exporters, manufacturers and freight forwarders. What are the remaining bottlenecks outside TTP’s control that government must urgently address?
The first is infrastructure. Technology cannot substitute for inadequate or poorly maintained roads. Port access roads, bridges, drainage and traffic corridors must be treated as critical economic infrastructure.
We also need greater coordination among government agencies and private-sector stakeholders involved in cargo clearance. Delays in documentation, terminal processes, Customs procedures or cargo release affect the entire supply chain.
Consistent enforcement is equally important, alongside investment in terminal capacity, truck holding facilities, road networks and alternative access routes. Ètò provides the digital layer, bringing structure, visibility, scheduling and control to truck movement, but the wider physical ecosystem must be capable of supporting that efficiency.
There have been concerns in the past over transparency, preferential access and the allocation of truck slots under electronic call-up systems. How does Ètò guarantee fairness, transparency and equal access for truck operators, particularly small and independent transporters?
Fairness, transparency and equal access are fundamental to Ètò. Access is determined by defined standard operating procedures and verifiable data, not personal connections, influence or the ability to manipulate the process.
Booking, batching and scheduling are system-driven and automated, creating an auditable transaction trail and reducing opportunities for arbitrary allocation, preferential treatment and unnecessary human interference.
We have also deliberately designed the ecosystem to include independent transporters and smaller operators. A small transporter who meets the required standards should have the same opportunity to participate. Ultimately, access should be earned through compliance and verified requirements, not connections or influence.
Technology systems are increasingly becoming targets for cyberattacks and fraud. You mentioned the introduction of multi-factor authentication and booking-code randomisation. What other measures has TTP put in place to protect Ètò from cyber threats, manipulation and fraudulent bookings?
Cybersecurity is a core operational requirement for us. Beyond multi-factor authentication and booking-code randomisation, we use layered access controls, continuous monitoring, audit trails, validation mechanisms and transaction controls.
We also continuously review vulnerabilities and update security protocols as the threat landscape evolves. No single security mechanism is sufficient, so we use multiple layers of verification to make unauthorised access and manipulation significantly more difficult.
We are also strengthening vehicle and identity verification through technologies such as electronic tags, which can link a truck’s digital identity to its physical movement and reduce opportunities for impersonation, number-plate manipulation and fraudulent bookings.
TTP has integrated the Central Bank of Nigeria’s Nigeria Export Proceeds (NXP) system into Ètò. What was the rationale behind this integration, and how can technology help improve Nigeria’s export logistics and reduce the cost and delays associated with moving export cargo through the ports?