IPMAN and NARTO Suspend Fuel Transport on Lekki-Epe Corridor, Protesting N12,500 E-Call-Up Levy
June 16, 2025 – The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) have directed their members to boycott the Lekki-Epe corridor, suspending fuel loading operations starting Monday, June 16, in protest of the Lagos State Government’s N12,500 per-truck E-Call-Up levy. The decision, announced in separate memos by IPMAN’s James Terlumun Tor and NARTO’s Yusuf Lawal Othman, cites the levy’s economic burden and lack of stakeholder consensus, warning of potential fuel scarcity nationwide if unresolved within 48 hours.
The E-Call-Up system, set to regulate truck movements along the Lekki-Epe corridor to prevent congestion akin to Apapa’s gridlock, was launched to manage traffic around key economic hubs like Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deep Seaport. IPMAN and NARTO, in letters to the Lagos Ministry of Transportation, proposed a N2,500 levy, arguing the N12,500 fee is “unjustifiable” and could raise fuel prices. “The operational cost implications are too heavy,” Othman stated, per The Guardian. Both groups have suspended tanker programming at Dangote Refinery, threatening supply chains.
Lagos officials, led by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, defend the system as critical for logistics efficiency, with enforcement backed by LASTMA and police. The Lekki Estate Residents and Stakeholders Association supports the initiative, citing Apapa’s lessons. Posts on X, like @NewsCentralTV’s, highlight fears of an energy crisis. IPMAN and NARTO remain open to dialogue but vow to pursue legal action if the levy isn’t revised, urging Governor Sanwo-Olu for an amicable resolution.
