Residents and commuters in Lagos state are to brace up as commercial drivers have threatened to embark on 7 days protest state wide.
The commercial drivers who are under association of Joint Drivers Welfare Association of Nigeria (JDWAN), have planned to boycott their services across the state over this issue. In statement made by the association, the protest is scheduled to commence on Monday, October 31, nd all members of the body has instructed its members to adhere to the instruction.
Why The Protest is Happening ?
The planned protest is coming as a result of their lamentation over the constant multiple/excessive extortion by the parks and garages management in the state.
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 & garages & Lagos State caretaker committee, on a daily basis, and lose half of their income to the motor park boys.
The cost of transportation has affected 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.
Exorbitant charges are expected of them in the garages and at every bus stop where passengers are dropped off, whether passengers are picked up or not, they are made to pay morning, afternoon and night. Some routes have 25 bus stops which also serve as illegal tax collection avenues.
When they try to resist the extortion, they get arrested and pay N10,000 for bail to the police while the motor park boys go scot free and they also have to bail their buses separately. These drivers also pay for entertainment, security, unit chairman’s food and many other ridiculous fees with threat of violence at any slight refusal by the drivers.
These drivers work like elephants and eat like ants while the urchins under the umbrella of motor park workers take a large chunk of the earnings, hardly fulfill our contractual obligations with our business partners, feed our family or afford maintenance or repair of our vehicles.
What The Drivers Want
They drivers had listed their demands which include:
Charging drivers one passengers money after loading in parks or garages, instead of three.
Lagos State government ticket should be the only ticket in Lagos. Others shouldn’t be allowed.
A kick against paying motor park thugs at every bus stop, all illegal money paid after leaving 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 daily without violating any law.
Lagos State government provide official bus stops in each community to avoid incessant arrests and stress for commuters who complain of having to trek several kilometers back to their bus stops owing to the fact that most bus stops in Lagos are strictly assigned officially to BRT buses only and drivers get arrested for dropping off passengers at existing bus stops which are known to commuters as official bus stops for decades.
The chairman made a stern plea as well as a warning,
“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.”