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Tag: Transport Union

  • 2023 Polls: INEC meets electoral officers, transporters to review logistics deployment

    2023 Polls: INEC meets electoral officers, transporters to review logistics deployment

    Aftermath of the 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday, in Abuja, met with Electoral Officers (EOs) nationwide and transport unions to review logistics deployment and other critical issues.

    The National Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in an opening speech, said the Commission considered it appropriate to interface with its field officers and transport service providers to review logistic arrangements during the 2023 general elections.

    The transport unions, according to him, include the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN).

    “It would be an opportunity to identify areas of strength and weakness for immediate improvement in forthcoming elections, especially the three off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States scheduled to hold on November 11, 2023.

    “There is no doubt that the success of any election primarily depends on the ability to deploy personnel and materials to various locations.

    “In Nigeria, this involves the biggest logistic deployment the nation periodically undertakes across vast terrains and often difficult topography.

    “This has been a perennial challenge over time but is now compounded by issues of infrastructure and insecurity.

    “However, the Commission has to deploy personnel and materials not only for election day activities but electoral activities in general covering the period before, during and after the elections.

    “Many of these activities such as the Continuous Registration of Voters (CVR), monitoring of party primaries for the nomination of candidates for the election, the procurement and deployment of sensitive and non-sensitive materials must be accomplished ahead of the election otherwise critical election day processes will be impossible,” he said.

    Yakubu said the Commission plans to hold more engagements with internal and external stakeholders, including political parties, civil society organisations, the media, and security agencies.

     

  • Many injured as transport union’s clash disrupt annual festival in Ogun state

    Many injured as transport union’s clash disrupt annual festival in Ogun state

    The Itori area of of Ewekoro Local Government in Ogun state was thrown into pandemonium when rival transport union members clashed in the state.

    It was gathered that  the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria ( RTEAN), and their rival union group known as Park Management (OGSPAM) and those of the newly approved Ogun State Operations Management Service (OSOMS) were involved in an argument that later degenerated into a a big fights resulting into firing shots and using other weapons.

    Findings show that the rival union groups met at Itori day, a yearly festival organized by the Olu of Itori, Oba Fatai Akamo and chose to use the occasion to flex muscles.

    According to reports from eyewitnesses, some of the union leaders sustained serious bullet and matchette injuries in the melee, which disrupted the festival for hours, even with Governor Dapo Abiodun and other government functionaries in attendance.

    It was said that while some leaders of the unions sustained varying degrees of injuries, those with metaphysical powers proved their mettle by escaping unscathed.

    According to the eyewitnesses, the Chairman of the RTEAN in Ogun, Akibu Titilayo, popularly known as Efele and others were attacked in the fracas.

    It was gathered that issues about ticketing, especially as it has to do with the newly created union, OSOMS, had triggered the chaos.

    Sources told newsmen that the Chairman of OGSPAM, Akeem Abodunrin (aka Iyeru) and his members were not pleased with the new union, which Efele is in support of, being an Ijebu man.

    “At least four persons sustained injuries in that riot,” a source told our correspondent anonymously.

    Meanwhile, the Ogun State police spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi,  confirmed the incident but assured that his men would try to look into the matter and bring perpetrators to book.

    Although, he claimed that the police has not arrested anyone but promised that those behind it will not be spared.

    Though Oyeyemi said the police could not pinpoint those behind the incident, he agreed that they were transport union members in the State.

    “It is true there was a riot at Itori Day yesterday, though we didn’t record any casualty. They hoodlums fought one another and went away immediately. But we are on their trail. Because we will not allow these hoodlums to be taking us for granted, we will not!

    “One, this is a festive period; second, the election is fast approaching. So, we should not allow some group of thugs to be carrying out thuggery and brigandage in Ogun State. We have sounded that note of warning. All those who perpetrated that crime yesterday, we are on their trail and we will get them.

    “We were told they were transport union members, even though we cannot pinpoint anybody. The actual cause of that crisis is what we want to find out and we are going to lay our hands on those who were involved in it,” Oyeyemi threatened.

  • Transport union 7 days strike looms in Lagos

    Transport union 7 days strike looms in Lagos

    Commercial drivers in Lagos State under the aegis of the Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN), have threatened to embark on seven days protest and boycott of services across the over multiple and excessive extortions by the management of parks and garages in the state.

    The association in a statement by its National Leader, Akintade S. Abiodun; Chairman, Opeyemi Sulaiman; General secretary, Ajimatanarareje A. Feyisayo and Assistant Secretary, Taofik Hassan, scheduled Monday, October 31, for the commencement of the protest, as it instructed its members to adhere to the instruction.

    The drivers lamented that despite their dedication to their work, they had been subjected to indiscriminate extortion, violent harassment by the management of state transport agencies, motor parks, and garages, and the Lagos State caretaker committee.

    The statement read, “This is to notify members of the public and the Lagos state government over multiple and excessive extortion by the motor parks and garages management.

    “The cost of transportation affects cost of goods and services and consequently the cost of living, which has spiraled astronomically in Lagos State as a result of the effect of motor parks excessive and illegal ticketing and tolling at almost every bus stop.

    “We have been sentenced to the extortion and violent harassment of the state transport agencies – Lagos State motor parks and garages management and Lagos State caretaker committee.

    “On a daily basis, we lose half of our income to the motor park boys. We pay exorbitant charges in the garages and at every bus stop where we drop off passengers, whether we pick up passengers or not, we pay morning, afternoon and night. Some routes have 25 bus stops which also serve as illegal tax collection avenues.

    “We crave the indulgence of the public to go through the meticulous breakdown of this unprecedented level of extortion we go through below:

    “From Badagry to Mile 2, we pay N3,500 & N5,000 naira apart from 25 illegal tolling/ticketing by motorpark hoodlums who collect two to three hundred naira per bus. From Seme in their park, they do collect N7,100 in the morning before loading our buses yet we are still subject to illegal collection on the highway.

    “On Federal Mass & Coaster, we pay over N12,000 on each trip from Oko Afo to CMS or to Oyingbo, which includes loading charges and illegal payments at several bus stops till we get to our destination.

    “From Ogijo to Ikorodu, we pay over N5,500 per day. Garage Ticket N850, Chairman ticket N1,700, King’s levy N200, Ita Oluwo N500, Odo Gunyon N1,200, Ile Epo Oba N200. We also pay N900 for passIng by whether you pick up a passenger or not.

    (At Ikorodu Roundabout we pay N1,000 in the morning and afternoon and we pay N500 in the evening which makes it N2,500. At Benson Bus Stop we pay N900 for a whole day, loading at N300 each for morning, afternoon and evening.

    “At Agric Bus Stop we pay N200 to 8 motor park thugs. It is called welcome to Agric tax. When we stop to load for passengers at the agric bus stop we pay an extra N300 which isn’t part of the N1,600 welcome to Agric tax. When we get to Aunty Kenny bus stop we pay N200 before buying Lagos state ticket for N500.

    “At Ogolonto bus stop we pay N100. At Mile 12 bus stop we pay N500 for plying the expressway and N1,000 for plying service lane (for buses enroute Yaba oyingbo). Mile 12 to Ojuelegba buses pay N1,500 while red coaster buses pay N2,000.

    “Red buses from Ikorodu to Oshodi pay N5,000 to motor park boys in the morning and afternoon. At Ketu bus stop we pay between N600 to N1,000 depending on the size of bus for just dropping off passengers or picking up any single one. For buses plying Yaba to Ikeja, we pay N200 at Jibowu bus stop, total bus stop N100, Fadeyi N100, Onipanu N200, Elediye N200, Palmgrove N200, Anthony N100, Ikeja N200 – total N1,300.

    “On our way back to Yaba, Palmgrove & Onipanu is N500, Fadeyi & Total N500, Yaba N200 with LASG N800 ticket making it a total of N3,300 in the morning alone. We pay N2,000 each in the afternoon and evening, which makes a total of N7,300 daily. Korope plying lyana Iba-Okoko to Agbara are paying N5,000 per day to motor park boys without the extra LASTMA & Police Department & Lagos Task Force daily extortion.

    “When we resist the extortion, we get arrested and pay N10,000 for bail to the police while the motor park boys go scot free and we also have to bail our buses separately.

    “Lagos drivers also pay for entertainment, security, unit chairman’s food and many other ridiculous levies with threat of violence at any slight refusal by the drivers. This is the exact case of the popular parlance on exploitation of labourers, “baboon dey work and monkey dey chop”.

    “Lagos commercial drivers work like elephants and eat like ants while the urchins under the aegis of motor park workers take a large chunk of our earnings. We can hardly fulfill our contractual obligations with our business partners, feed our family or afford maintenance or repair of our vehicles.

    “Our demands are: No to charging drivers three passengers money after loading in parks or garages, we are demanding it should be one passenger’s money per bus. We demand that only Lagos State government ticket should be the only ticket in Lagos. Others like Lagos State parks & garages management, Lagos State caretaker committee are not acceptable to all drivers in Lagos State.

    “We kick against Paying motor park thugs at every bus stop. All illegal money paid after we leave the garages and parks should be abolished immediately. Harassment of law enforcement agencies & intimidation with guns, cutlass, broken bottles by LASTMA, task force and RRS must end immediately. They collaborate and hire thugs to attack and extort us every day without violating any law.

    “We have lesser bus stops for commercial vehicles. Most bus stops in Lagos are strictly assigned officially to brt buses only and we get arrested for dropping off passengers at existing bus stops which are known to commuters as official bus stops for decades. We demand that the Lagos State government should provide official bus stops in each community to avoid incessant arrests and stress for commuters who complain of having to trek several kilometres back to their bus stops.

    “We call on the Lagos State government to quickly respond to avert the current anomaly. Failure to adhere to these demands will only attract more protest and total boycott, the Joint drivers welfare association of Nigeria (JDWAN) is resolute in pursuing justice by all legitimate and peaceful means available.”